February 2, 2015.

Living in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast for nearly all of my life, I should be used to winter by now. But somehow, every year when it rolls around, it still catches me by surprise – how bitterly cold the wind can be, how fast the snow can pile up and interrupt our plans, and how short and gray the days are.

When my husband and I lived in Maine we made a conscious decision to embrace winter, with all it’s single-digit temperatures, massive piles of snow and howling winds. We saw each major snowstorm as a chance to break out our snowshoes, skis or backpacks and head to the mountains or woods for an adventure. I’ve been pining for those days of spontaneity lately, as having two young children will do to you. But fortunately, an attitude adjustment toward winter is well within the realm of possibilities!

Hence the inspiration for this typography piece: It’s completely true that summer is so much more precious and enjoyable after surviving a long, cold winter. So why not embrace what winter does offer – a chance to bundle up, wear scarves, drink more hot chocolate, build a snowman or two, sled down the biggest hill in your town or try to catch snowflakes on your tongue. Keeping in mind that the warm summer sun is going to feel absolutely glorious when it finally does make an appearance again.

Side note: The photo behind the Steinbeck quote was taken during a winter hiking trip my husband and I did back in our early married days. It was such a stunning hike up into the mountains of Maine, with every tree blanketed in a thick snow. I remember the air was so still and peaceful, and we didn’t see a soul all day. No, we weren’t missing summer at all.