Please Share: Resolutions, Tips for a Cozy Winter

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To Our Readers: We editors of The Boyertown Area Expression are giving thanks today! We have enjoyed the peeks into the lives of our writers as they shared their thankfulness in recent articles.

Our Thanksgiving effort reflected what we hoped The Boyertown Area Expression would become—a way for members of the community to express themselves in order to get to know one another better, to invite engagement in the many activities and projects the community affords, to celebrate our varied achievements, and to offer support as needed in the difficult times we all bear from time to time.

Our writers’ contributions were heartwarming, charming, funny, nostalgic, and often thought-provoking. And so, we want to continue our tradition of inviting community members to express themselves.

This time, let’s consider the upcoming new year.

Resolutions:
- Often folks make resolutions; what might your resolution be for 2025?

- Or perhaps you have a story of a resolution that was a disaster or one that taught you something about yourself or others.

- Maybe you have a resolution you make every year or others you’ve witnessed.

Survival Techniques:
We're also interested in what we might call survival techniques, those activities or ways you get through and perhaps even enjoy the cold days and long dark nights of the winter months. How do you create warmth and coziness to enjoy the months that many of us dread? 

This sharing will enlighten us during these dark days, take the chill out of winter, and—in the end—create an even more caring, cohesive community—what the world certainly needs now! Please send any stories or suggestions to janeEstahl@comcast.net with a brief bio about yourself and maybe a photo or two. 

I'll start. 

by Jane Stahl


A Resolution to Warm Winter's Days

Winter has never been a favorite season. I'm happiest when the deck around the pool is warm enough for bare feet and when I can watch the shimmer of the water reflected on the ceiling of my living room.  

And while I'm embarrassed to admit that I get a little sad in late June knowing each day is getting shorter, I celebrate February 1st because I feel the sun rays strengthening and I know the days are inexorably lengthening by one full minute each day. Spring is coming. It will take awhile, but I know it's on its way.

My son and I share these realizations: we share a special smile each Feb 1 and a sigh in late June. But we have resolved this year to find a way to embrace the short days, to enjoy the time to hide away, quietly, that doesn't involve our favorite distractions: TV or computers, phones, or even books. We've resolved to enjoy this winter in some way...together. 

We're playing Scrabble and exploring different flavors of hot tea. At the close of each afternoon before dinner, we heat up cups of our favorite blend and retire to a room we rarely use. It has no TV; we leave our phones behind and exercise our brain's left hemispheres by simply making words. 

We are both "word people" so it's fun for us.  We don't mind cheating--checking the dictionary to confirm that the words we are about to play are "real"--or helping one another by suggesting a space that yields more points. 

Sometimes a word will spark conversation in sharing a memory or an opinion or a lesson. Sometimes the day's activities require venting or discussion. But as the sky darkens, our minds quiet, and our worries melt. As the day ends and the shift to nighttime routines begins, we actually can look forward to spending time together on another winter afternoon.


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