The longest shortest month of the year

It feels a little like I've been in February for a lot longer than 23 days. Winter has me in its grasp and I'm struggling to find a way out. But I guess without the choking depth of winter I wouldn't fall in love with spring,summer,fall the way I do every year. No matter how hard the winter tries to fade me I know that the sun will once again color me wonderful when it decides to grace me with its presence. 

While I am in a current disagreement with winter, I am fond of her ability to make the world stop when she chooses. She can cover the bare limbs and ground with a blanket of fresh snow and we all freeze (literally). A friend once described winter as intimate. And it's true, we all speak a little quieter in the cold and sit a little closer. We bond over snowballs, hot chocolate, soup, and tea. We invite more people into our homes because we cannot bear to be outside. And when we are young, we were on occasion lucky enough to experience a snow day. So even though winter always over stays her welcome, I guess I can thank her for a few things. 

"In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer"

-Albert Camus