s5e7: Mantra for going outside in the dark
Yes, yes. Do all your creams, lights, pills and powders if you have SAD. But for everyone else who listlessly doesn't want to leave the house at night, you could also give yourself a pep talk called "just go outside" if you are waffling on canceling plans. The talk could go something like this: "I now undertake, as is my right, a successful battle against inertia. I do not want to sit down on the couch. I have never once in my life wanted to sit on a couch. I have had a KitKat and I will use this small burst of sugar to put my shoes on and get a coat to go meet up with Nick and Will for dinner, because I love them, and even though they know that I love them, it will feel better to show up to dinner, because there is no better time than to have wonderful friendships and love in one's life than winter, where we can have the blinders of the long night to rest in against each other for many hours. I am allowed to wear two scarves at once, and all the better if they are in contrasting yet complimentary patterns, or a smaller silk one underneath a mohair wrap. There is romance in the squares of yellow which outline diners in restaurants, workers late at their jobs, children doing homework near a fogged-up window, and I am no longer going to overlook this because there is never a good time to waste a silver lining or an eye for aesthetics. I could bring some Hothands or a fuel burning box or an electric warmer and hold it in my little palm and feel the satisfaction of all that comfort in my pocket while the cold air hits my face. Nobody cares what shoes I am wearing to the function including if I am only seen in Bean Boots from now until May. A spritz or two of a gourmand scent on my wool coat, or perfume that reminds me of my best friend, perhaps I've ordered a travel sample for this exact reason, will make burying my nose in its turned-up collar more luxurious. Winter is not the end, rather, the beginning of all things. I have underestimated the joy I am capable of. I have neglected that the things which allow one to hide can also be the things which make people feel free."
Welcome to s5e6! The only other advice I have right now is: cut the thread X that is holding the back vent of your new winter coat closed. It is supposed to be cut. Stop looking like you have worn something straight out of a department store onto the street.
No recommendations after the gift guide (hello???). Sorry for skipping the year-end letter, I was getting no joie de vive from it even though I wrote three separate versions, so it had to be Marie Kondo'ed this time. Maybe next year. But please do tell me about your 2023 and as always my well-wishes to all of you at the turn of the year.
For those of you who are new, hello and it's lovely to have you. As always: I'm serious when I say that KFZ has no rules or consistency. Nobody, including me, knows what is happening!
Written and Directed By: Lauren Christiansen
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