Hello! You’re reading Snuggery, a virtual postcard of cozy content capturing the fleeting beauty of the seasons. To join our cozy community, hit subscribe. Light a candle, grab a cuppa, and sit a spell. Stay awhile. ✉️

🤍 from the hearth 🤍

Dear friend,

As the winter of 2022 blankets Fayetteville, Arkansas in record-breaking snowfall, the city slows to a halt under the weight of the frost. It’s equal parts serene and chaotic, and even the simplest tasks have morphed into daunting feats.

Naturally, on a particularly snowy February day, my friends and I decide to meet up and drink. I zip up my platform boots, grab my keys, and brave the icy path toward my Ford Expedition. It never once occurs to me that perhaps I shouldn’t be driving.

I’ve barely shifted gears before my car starts slipping down the stupidly steep hill of my apartment’s parking lot, ultimately colliding with a tree before settling into a small ditch. Well, shit.

Despite my efforts to maneuver out of the ditch, the ole’ Ford just isn’t budging. I call AAA and wait… and wait… and wait. At this point, I’m freezing (no heat in the 2000 Ford—shocker, I know). I eventually decide to seek refuge in the warmth of my apartment.

I exit the car and begin my trek, except now I’m at the bottom of the stupidly steep hill and I’m in platform boots, so I just keep slipping and stumbling on the snow-covered terrain.

Finally, after bracing myself for the cold, I kick off my boots, drop to all fours, and start army crawling up the motherfucking hill. Pine needles are pricking my skin, twigs snapping beneath my weight.

When at last I’ve made it to the top of the hill and into my apartment, I call my dad and ask for advice. His suggestion? Return to the car with him as my guide. I take a deep breath and head out the door once more.

Thirty minutes later, I’ve traversed the distance between my car and my apartment countless times, attempting in vain to follow my father’s seemingly nonsensical instructions. There’s sweat dripping down my face, snow clinging to my hair, blood pouring from my knee… and still, no sign of AAA.

With no rescue in sight, I finally say fuck it and call an Uber. Abandoning my stranded car, I head to the party. (AAA didn’t come until the next day, anyway.)

I wanted to hang out with my friends so badly that I was willing to literally army crawl up a snow-covered hill, barefoot, multiple times, just to find my way to them.

So, here’s the point: Winter gives us grit, makes us resilient. While it may feel daunting now, one day you’ll look back and appreciate the strength it instilled. And who knows, you may just laugh at the shenanigans you got up to along the way.

We have a few more weeks left of winter, but come March, this postcard will transform into a springtime sanctuary. Hold on for just a little while longer.

☃️ seasonal selections ☃️

• I’m currently rereading one of my most beloved books, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. It’s such a beautiful story—filled with so much heartache and love and resilience—about a normal girl who just so happens to have been born with wings. Magical realism lovers unite.

• The Mel Robbins podcast has tons of motivational tactics, personal anecdotes, and research-backed advice to help you create a life worth living. I love every single episode, but this one feels especially relevant to today’s theme.

• “My color’s green. I’m spring.” In the face of darkness, when this orbiting sphere starts to feel sour, I turn to Ross Gay. He never fails to fill me with light, with love, with gratitude for the “something like two / million naturally occurring sweet things.” “Sorrow Is Not My Name” is one of my favorite poems of his, always reminding me of the resilience of the human spirit.

🌬 spectacular vernacular 🌬

meggle [megg-uhl] (v.) • Scottish

1. to trudge laboriously through mud or snow

Determined to make it to her friends, Cat began to meggle with great resolve.

🌨 cozy conversations 🌨

Reflecting on the people in your life, who do you consider to be the most resilient, and what traits or actions of theirs inspire you?

Thanks for reading and I do hope you have the snuggest of Fridays (sorry about the late postcard; it’s been a hectic week). I’m watching my sister’s dogs for the next couple of days, so I plan to go on some long walks.

Until next week, stay cozy.

With warmth and whimsy,

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