“I can imagine no more comfortable frame of mind for the conduct of life than a humorous resignation.”
– W. Somerset Maugham

The Pope’s resigning today (something with only semi-historical precedent that makes medieval history buffs like me giddy with the newness and compels us to dive into dry tomes for more information). I’ve decided today to resign something as well… the month of February. Retire it. Let is sink slowly into a life of contemplation and ring in the new month with pomp.
February was rough this year. The usual blah-ness of winter combined with a lot of stress at work, mixed with a bad case in particular, a dash of unpleasant surprise with our landlords, and just a soupcon of perpetual grumpiness meant that I spent Februrary cranky. Some years I get a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder and I think I came down with it in January and February. What’s more I allowed myself to become discouraged and glum, which is a hard cycle to break when it’s freezing cold and dark outside.
No more! I’m diving into Mad March Hare-ness with abandon!
Tonight I have a ticket to hear an academic and personal hero speak. I have a new game plan for some personal projects that aren’t paying out just yet, but I already feel much better about. I’m shuffling off some the easy selfishness I’ve fallen into and helping out some friends. I’m not eating ice cream for dinner. Progress already, I feel.
Speak up minions, what’s a good way to counteract discouragement and the winter blues?