Cold is the word of the day. Since winter is upon us here in the Northeast, cold may (or may not) be an accurate description of your environment. But cold can also be a mood, a temperament, or an atmosphere. Are you experiencing cold in your life? How and where? If you choose to take up the challenge, please add a pingback to this prompt.

Monday afternoon, I had to attend a meeting, and I stepped outside into bright sunshine. The birds were singing, and I had a sudden wave of spring fever. In January. Now, if you are at all familiar with winters in the Northeast (and the northern Northeast, at that), you know that spring fever in January is a tough mentality. Winter has only just begun, and this year, the cold is still deciding when it might actually settle in. Not if, but definitely when.

Spring fever was a fleeting moment. By the time I left work to return home, the temperature had dropped, and I pulled my scarf around my neck. At home, I cuddled under a blanket as much for the warmth as for the coziness. This kind of cold you can counter with proper clothing, extra layers, and cozy blankets.

The other cold, the one that settles over an atmosphere, an environment, a relationship… that cold is much more unwelcoming. It can only be tempered with great skill or avoidance. Seldom does joking affect the underlying cause of such cold, and (interestingly) a blanket might feel smothering in such a situation.

If I had to choose between cold temperatures or the cold shoulder, I would take the cold temperatures any day. I will gladly take a cozy blanket and a cup of hot cocoa to solve my cold issues!