Hello, everyone --
I have good news! We finally convinced D, age 17, that a coat and mittens are as important as ... oh ... let's say oxygen in a Minnesota winter. This is an achievement, because until our recent cold snap, he usually boarded the bus wearing a sweatshirt. "I don't want to look like someone who's never been to school here before," he told me.
OK, point taken. Last winter I insisted he wear snow boots on his first day of in-person learning in Minnesota. I had forgotten that nobody wears snow boots to high school in the winter. (Hey, we'd been in the mellower Washington winters for almost twenty years. And I'd become an adult.)
But when our high temperatures -- yes highs -- here were only reaching the double digits BELOW zero Fahrenheit, I went all in on my coat and mitten campaign. No matter how you look at it, subzero temps, plus prairie winds, bring killer cold. What if the bus ends up stuck in a snowbank? Or a fire breaks out at school? Or ... fill in your worst fear here: _____?
I've given up on the boots, but every day I see that kid wearing his coat and gloves, I smile and exhale. A victory is a victory.
What's your first or best win so far this new year? Let's call this a writing prompt! Read on for another one, plus a dressing how-to, #SameMoonFriends news and a wordy way to start the new year (it is never too late).
Take good care -- and stay warm,
Sarah
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Dressing for cold: a how-to
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If you're interested in how a cold-weather wimp dresses to meet subzero cold -- and keep her intrepid dog happy -- check out my blog post from last week. I offer a layer-by-layer tutorial on how to stay warm on a -15-degree F. morning. (Believe it or not, I ended up slightly overheated!)
By the way, I have since received a helpful tip from my SIL Mary: ski goggles to protect the nose bridge and eyes! Any other tips are most welcome.
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Coming Monday ... the Wolf Moon!
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This coming Monday, January 17, check out the Wolf Moon. What will this full moon look like in your neck of the woods?
If you share an image and use the #SameMoonFriends hashtag on Facebook or Instagram, I'll find it and share it with others in a collection, like the one above.
In December, we had moons, friends and a moon-inspired art project! Thank you to Heather, Jackie, Janet, Jhana, Linda and Sarah S., who sent images from Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Pennsylvania, Washington and the U.K. (via Washington).
Why #SameMoonFriends?
When I was seventeen, a friend suggested we think of each other when we see the moon — he in Japan, I in Minnesota. Since then I have thought of far-off friends and family whenever I see the moon. (You can read the long-ago story in my Same Moon press kit.)
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Last fall, my friend Linda told me she was adopting a word-of-the-year for the school year. I loved the idea and adopted one too.
My word was "home." Having moved back to Minnesota a year earlier, I had been thinking a lot about the idea of home. What makes a place feel like home? Is it about the topography, the people, the weather, something in our individual selves ... ?
I felt that my idea of home had been shifting from how I regarded it while writing The Same Moon, whose tagline is, "Sometimes you have to run far, far away to find your way home." As autumn went on, I realized my attitude had evolved so that home had come to mean something we identify and carry with us. That idea formed the basis -- and title -- of my final presentation of the year: "Your heart is where home is." (More on that talk here.)
As 2022 arrived, I began thinking about a new word for the year and happened on this "Word of the Year" story last week in The New York Times.
One of its recommendations is to share the word. (There's even a link in the Times story to share yours, if you like.) So here's mine:
Present.
I chose this word because I want to be more present in each moment -- not so much multi-tasking and letting smartphone notifications steer my attention.
Also, I love that the word has other relevant meanings. I see being more present as a gift/present to myself and my family. And I believe that if I'm more present, in the sense of being more focused, I'll be able to meet my writing goals and, I hope, have something to, yes, present by the end of the year.
Do you have a word for the year? I'd love to hear about it. (Look at that -- a second writing prompt!)
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Just in case you need evidence that syntax matters. Thanks, Costco! (There's no way my membership card can be my phone. It can't even serve as my phone.)
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Thank you for your interest in The Same Moon and sharing stories! You are welcome to share this email with others who might be interested.
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