Winter in New England can be rough. Although the sun has started to set later in the day, it doesn’t make up for the inch of ice outside and blistering cold winds. If I hadn’t taken my car out yesterday at lunch to give it a quick drive, I wouldn’t have left the condo since last Thursday. This is partly because I’m just an inside person who works from home, but also it’s terrible outside and I want nothing to do with that.

This time of year seems to be my slow time of the year, meaning fewer trips and fun activities. Again, pretty much just due to the cold and I’m not a winter outdoor activity person. (For example, I’ve never been snowboarding or skiing. But part of me would like to go sledding again? When I was younger, my dad and I would always go to the park down the street and sled on the hill there.) So I feel like I’m unintentionally homebound. Most of January was spent recovering from illness post-Christmas, so I wasn’t super social, but I feel like I’ve barely done anything this month. Or left the condo.

That should change a bit next month. My weekly dance class will be starting back up for 12 weeks, which I’m looking forward to. We haven’t gotten together since the end of November because we took some time off for the holidays and another class was running during our usual time. The dance class is a good excuse for me to get out and see other people. And it’s something I enjoy. I also promised Josh a trip to a brewery for a belated birthday gift; I’m still not drinking, so I don’t know when I’ll get back into it or if we find a place that has non-alcoholic beer. (This whole me-not-drinking-thing should be investigated.) And at the end of March, I’ll be walking a 5K race with an old friend and her daughter. I’ve run the race in the past, but the three of us are going to walk it this year.

So, in the meantime, I’m looking forward to other things that I’ll do this year, even if they’re the little things. I started a running list in my notebook to remind me that good things are coming. Some examples include:

• Couch naps
• Neighborhood walks
• Sleeping in on the weekends
• St. Patrick’s Day hash (made by my mom)
• Hartford Yard Goats games
• My birthday (it’s on a Sunday this year)
• Cape Cod trip in June (you heard it here first, folks—we’re not flying this year!)
• Maine trips
• Running on the track at my old high school
• Going to the movies
• Springfield Thunderbirds games

I know this “blah” feeling will pass; it usually has to do with the weather and the season. For now, you can find me under a blanket, watching Netflix or reading, with a hot cup of tea and a candle burning.