In my last post, you may have noticed that my mind was running amok with early high school angst and that I was struggling with my social skills.

However, it's been a while and winter is now approaching, if not already here. Some might think that winter would make it harder for people to extend themselves, make friends, and spend time socializing. Well, I'm convinced that winter has actually helped me to improve my social life. The cold wind of winter is blowing, and a number of things are a-changing, resulting in my being a lot happier and more satisfied with my social situation at my new high school.

First of all, I discovered the trick to getting out of the kind of social situation in which I previously found myself: Find people who actually like you and care about you as much as you do them. It sounds simple, but sometimes it takes a while. I pretty much spent the whole first month and a half of school finding people that I liked. Turns out I didn't have to give up being a loyal library-dweller. I'm still there, however, I've successfully formed a small group of friends who enjoy the comfort of the library just as much as I do. The winter plays a part in this. The option of going outside during free periods has pretty much been eliminated due to the cold. Hence my theory that winter brings people together.

Furthermore, the familiar wintery activities have commenced, such as ice skating and hot chocolate-drinking. When I look around, I see people more interested in having fun than they are in looking good. Even in the overly trend-obsessed city I live in, there's a common understanding and acceptance that nobody looks attractive in puffer coats. Overall, there's a feeling of "we're all in this together," which is exactly the type of feeling that I, personally, need to feel in order to not want to just burrow in a hole and hibernate.

So when winter comes your way, before you let it hit you hard, look at the nice, warm, friend-filled, cozy side of the season. It might be that there's a fireside - or a library - near you where you can escape the cold, and find some friends.