Like I’ve said previously, I’m just A Little Guy. I want to do my silly crafts, and drink warm beverages, and play with my cat. I live in a small prairie city where there is snow on the ground for like six months out of the year. It is very conducive to staying inside, doing silly crafts, drinking warm beverages, and playing with cats.

However, I also have this condition called If I Don’t Leave This House I Will Scream. I work from home, so I see a lot of the same 4 walls for days at a time. If I have no plans on a given week during the winter months (ie, any time between November and May), I need go out and do anything. Go through the drive-thru for coffee, return a book to the library that isn’t due for a week – anything.

People say all the time that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing. I can agree with that to a certain degree. But a couple weeks ago, it hovered around -35C/-50C with the windchill and you know, I think that might be past the threshold of no such thing as bad weather. No amount of layers and creepy balaclavas are going to make me think that going outside for fun is a good idea.

Luckily, I also live in a city with loads of sunshine. Third sunniest city in Canada, according to the Googs. This takes a bit of the sting out of the idea of six months of winter. And when it’s not minus a million outside, it makes leaving the house that much easier. Bright blue skies, sun bouncing off the snow so brightly you need to wear sunglasses.

Living in such a wintry place, you have to embrace the cold. I know people who have lived here all their lives that hate the cold and the snow and everything winter. It’s always perplexed me that a person would choose to hate something that they have no control over. It’s still going to be cold and snowy whether you like it or not. Why not try to enjoy it as much as you can?

I decided to do the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge this year. Not officially, because I don’t love the founder and her ideologies. Also I’m not a parent trying to get my kids outside, which is the original plan for the challenge. But I think everyone could benefit from being outside more! So I made myself a little tracker in my bullet journal and I’m trying to see how much time I can spend outside this year! I don’t necessarily think I’ll hit 1000 hours, but I’m looking forward to seeing how many hours I can get in.

This time of year, I know those numbers are going to be low. But I am trying to push myself to get outside most days. Layers, and sunshine, and the promise of warm beverages upon my return help. Since the weather has been hovering around the freezing mark this week, I’ve layered up and gone for a walk after work. It helps that it’s staying lighter for a bit longer each day too.

We’ve had the right mix of conditions to make everything all pretty with hoar frost almost all week. (Fun fact, I was embarrassingly old when I realised it wasn’t “whore frost”.)

I’m also very lucky that I live in a part of the city with so many parks and trails and pathways all around me. Once I get out of my neighbourhood a bit, I can see the edge of the city and sometimes it feels like I’m at the edge of the world, all on my own.

Sometimes I really need to dangle a carrot and make myself get out there with the promise of a podcast I’ve been waiting to listen to. Other times, I go with no distractions and just enjoy the sounds and sights around me. I like to get really lost in my surroundings and do some thinking. It isn’t just about exercise and heart rates (although that does have its place). Sometimes, I just spend 5 minutes looking at a tree, or watching the Grey Partridges potter around on top of the snow in a little cluster. Partridges are my favourite.

I know not everyone has as much access to the outdoors as I do. Maybe you don’t have enough warm clothes, or you work two jobs and don’t have a lot of free time, or your area isn’t super safe. But I bet you have more access than you think you do! Just try for a few minutes at a time. Take the garbage out and walk around the yard while you’re out there. Park a little further away from the door when you’re getting groceries. It adds up, and the more you do it, the more you’ll want to do it.

Sometimes, when I know I need to get outside, I make myself take out the garbage. I live in an apartment, so that means going down 3 flights of stairs and across the parking lot. “That’s all you need to do today,” I tell myself. Then, as I’m heading downstairs I think, okay if it’s not too windy when you get there, just walk around the building, and then back in.

I’m sure you can guess where it goes from there. Once I’m out and moving, I just want to keep going. Try it for yourself. You might be surprised.