march friday things

hi guys, time for a friday things-style post. i don’t know if it is just that winter has gone on for what feels like unbelievably too long, or if it’s so so close to spring break, but i’m just not having it lately, guys. it’s hard to summon up the ire for my work, i need way too much coffee, and my enthusiasm is starting to wane. (alex and i have a joke that whenever one of us uses the the word ‘wane’, the other person has to say, in a garth algar voice, “waaaaayyyyne?” because this is who we are.

alas, it’s one more week ’til our prazdniny (holiday) so it’s time to hold on and embrace all of the winter things for at least one more week! do y’all even know how cold it’s been here? jeebus. it’s true that the prague castle guards have been abandoning their post because ain’t nobody want to stand outside in that. it’s about on par with last year’s cold blast. on the happy and optimistic side, the ponds and rivers have now officially frozen over. do i smell pond-skating? perhaps, if i can quickly get my hands on some skates. (hint hint – it would not be terrible to borrow someone’s skates)

embracing winter

so, let’s get right to the positives about winter still being here. you know what there’s still time for?

lighting candles
over-sized woolens and knits
cups of tea
roasts in the oven
reading in a cozy nook in natural daylight while snowflakes fall outside
ice-skating, and having a hot chocolate afterwards
catching up on oscar-nominated films
planning & researching warmer weather travels
going sledding
baking while listening to music from the 1950’s
sitting my the fireplace or woodstove (if you have one. i’ll just be sitting by the radiator!)
knitting
snuggling under blankets
eating your weight in chocolate
going on a snowy walk
drinking a spicy cup of golden milk

the last one has been my favorite winter drink this year – definitely my m.v.p. as far as far as wonderful beverages go! if you don’t know what golden milk is, it’s a delightful blend of spices including turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and others with milk and sweetner of your choice that is warming, so nutritious (countless benefits) and absolutely delicious – even more so than a hot chocolate, if you ask me. i’m already on my second batch this winter, as i make it by the jar.

some responses from “what’s your favorite winter activity?” that some of y’all chimed in with a couple years ago:

“travel – especially to a place that has nicer weather” – camila, adventitious violet
“sleeping in, waking up and drinking coffee while slowly eating breakfast while looking at the snow outside.” – natalye, deutsch, bitte!
“getting outside when it’s sunny and enjoying the fresh air.” – kerri, life as unusuals
“watching period movies.” – anda, the twisted red ladybug
“snow, fireplaces, hot toddies, anything involving being super cozy.” – edna, expat edna
“cozying up with a cup of tea and a good book.” – jessi, two feet one world
“finding cozy cafes that serve hot chocolate followed by a long bath!” – marcella, what a wonderful world

are we full of inspiration again, yet? now that it is march, i’m looking forward to my favorite march activity: hiding away in a dark, damp bar nursing a dram of whisky while iron maiden (or similar) plays in the background. i can’t think of a better st. patrick’s day thought than that.

dancing progress

you may have remembered that we’ve started dance lessons in czech language a couple weeks ago and have about two more months to go! i was surprised actually that the language barrier hasn’t really hampered my understanding or enjoyment, nor is it scary. hurrah! already we are far better than we were before, now that we’ve realized that the cha-cha and jive are two completely different dances. it’s really nice to have this knowledge and it’s a great way to pass a dark winter night: by getting up and moving! much needed for the body, heart and mind, really.

shifts

lately, i just haven’t been able to deal with social media. none of it, really. yesterday i spent maybe twenty minutes on facebook and i felt like my soul was just sucked right out. this year, i’ve been pretty conscious about how i spend my time, mostly owing to the fact that i’ve been incredibly busy with my work so i have to account for almost every minute on weekdays. with yoga and language study a priority, social media has been the first thing to fall, and rightly so. it’s a time suck. it often does not inspire positivity (although it can, but…). not only this, but it certainly has been a big culprit when it comes to the reason for fewer blog posts over the past year. 

i’ve also noticed a lot of people who used to write blogs now only appear on their social media applications. it’s like writing long-form has gone out of fashion, and it kind of amazes me to see these people who were going full-force like a steam train a couple of years ago have expired domain names now. i hope with the whole “live simply” trend that is undoubtedly sweeping the internet that we can get back to the basics. to the writing that matters and not sad and/or obvious and unrelated-to-your-content sponsored posts. daily life. living life. it’s what matters.

not only this, i’m feeling an empowering shift in my personal life, as well! to release what is no longer needed and embrace the things that are special and important. sometimes starting a new year can (help) do that for you. 

incidentally, this new york times piece on the ‘tyranny of convenience’ really made an impression on a thought i’ve already been feeling for awhile. isn’t it funny, the embracing of “slow living” while we still feel like we need so much technology to assist us? what good does it all actually do for us?

upcoming travels

lordy, am i looking forward to some of the trips we have planned for this month! we’ll be heading all over the czech republic to brno and prague, and heading over to poland at the very end of the month! i haven’t been there in almost four years, so i’m looking forward to getting back to this wonderful, marvelous country and getting to know its coolest city in a more “off-the-beaten-path” sort of way. all with our pejsek (little dog), of course.

have a wonderful weekend, all. i’ll be trying to figure out how best to enjoy the last of this gorgeous snowy winter without freezing my fingers off.