This time of year is always the hardest for me. The darkest and bleakest. It doesn't seem to be bound by the circumstances in my life... I have far too much to be thankful for for that. It just comes in like a heavy fog and blankets my heart. I can feel winter coming, as my veins turn to ice and my heart freezes over. I can see my footprints, they outline for me how many times I've fallen and how few steps I have taken. The breaths I manage to catch linger in the air. And all I want to do is hibernate... find some cozy safe place, indulge a little too much in comfort food, and ride it out. Wake up when things are thawing and hope is new again.