Finding Light in the Longest Month

I’m a pretty dour person by nature. Always have been. My default setting is to expect the worst, prepare for disappointment, and find the cloud in every silver lining. January in Wales doesn’t help - grey skies, endless rain, and a landscape that looks like it’s given up on joy entirely. But this year, stuck in the depths of winter, I’ve been wondering whether this has to be who I am forever.

So I’ve been trying something different. Instead of just enduring the gloom, I’ve been forcing myself to notice small things. It’s not earth-shattering stuff, but it turns out there’s more light in dark places than I usually bother to see. Maybe the goal isn’t to become an optimist, but to be a pessimist who occasionally notices when things don’t go completely wrong.

Who knows, maybe it’ll do me good?