Like many people, I find it hard to let Daylight Savings Time go. Shorter days and the inevitable entrée to THE HOLIDAYS are a double whammy that typically call forth my protest of “I’m not ready!!” But this year, I am determined to welcome these things in a spirit of acceptance, embrace the blessings and joys of fall and winter, and stop yearning for the warmth and endless days of summer.

I will read more, which is something I truly look forward to. I often am so busy in the summer that I don’t have time to lose myself in a novel or catch up on magazine articles. I will cook hearty, healthy meals and bake bread from scratch, and create savory soups whose simmering goodness will fill the house with an irresistible aroma. I will buy a box of beautiful stationery and write a letter to a friend, which I will actually stamp and mail. I will pot some simple herbs—basil, cilantro, dill perhaps—and put them in a sunny spot to use instead of dried, bottled seasonings. I will have long talks with my husband and freshen the house with bright flowers.

I will find light in the darker, longer nights and create warmth on the strength of my own creativity and enthusiasm, for it is never the season that should dictate satisfaction with life, but what we find and bring forth from within. Winter? Bring on your best. I’m ready!