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Seems like the way we deal with winter bleakness is to focus on the coming spring before winter is official with us. My dad happily chirped "Hey, spring is almost here!", like it was an exciting and obvious fact that the first week of December constituted a celebration of the coming spring. I gave him a funny look and continued to slurp hot soup. But it got me to thinking.......When things are difficult or grim, a little rainy and dark, how much time and energy do we spend wishing we were somewhere else? Or that things where different, better or easier? Despite your determined dreaming, you are not on a palm covered beach, soaked in sunshine and Plasticine babes. Now, you could be.... If you go out there and buy that ticket, but for now, lets just acknowledge the facts.  It seems to me that we spend an inordinate amount of time fantasizing about winning the lottery instead of enjoying a hot cuppa Joes with a friend or nodding at grumpy strangers on the street,(they love that).

Someone nods at you, just to acknowledge that you exist. You really are there, wet and soggy, and probably dreading the loss of coin that will come with the newest Christmas-fad toy. 

I'm not saying that there isn't a place in life for fantasy and dreaming. Certainly that is how we conceive of the most wondrous impossibilities of human invention.

But as far as day to day life goes, how often do we just see where we are, and accept it?  Discover what makes our current reality interesting and worth living?  And if we really don't like it, we can then take the steps necessary to change it.

So put aside your visions of surfers and surfets, and giant coffers full of coins, throw on a jacket-anything but a Black Vancouver uniform- and go jump in some puddles. Go smile at some strangers. Really it's very satisfying, especially when they're shocked by your attempt to make contact. "Oh. my. god. he's looking at me, what a creep!" or my personal favourite, " Oh shit, she looked at me, she smiled, she wants me!!! what do I do?  Don't look back!  oh. my. god. she smiled at me!"

Enjoy your grim and soggy winter days!