Canning

Today is the first official day of autumn, though here in Michigan it feels like autumn began sometime back in April, right after winter ended. Okay, we got a little bit of summer, but it wasn't ever particularly hot. Some days were downright cold.

And it's only going to get colder. Just when we thought that we had conquered the coldest winter since before sliced bread, now we hear that forecasters are predicting that this winter will be another cold one, possibly even colder than last year's.

Regardless of how accurate these predictions are (I refuse to believe them), it's a good idea to ask ourselves the same question the First Presidency Message asks, namely, "Are We Prepared?" Now is as good a time as any to prepare for cold days, snowy roads, and potential power outages by bolstering our food storage and emergency preparedness.

But there's another aspect of winter preparedness that I didn't realize until last year. About the middle of January, I was feeling increasingly isolated thanks to all those days stuck in the house. It was really hard to organize play dates (especially when people were sick), and I fought feelings of loneliness almost all the time. I thought to myself, "I wish I had canned up more socializing along with that applesauce."

And now that we're back to canning season, I'm determined to prepare accordingly. So, here are my suggestions on how to mentally prepare for winter while we still can.

• Start the routines now. Get weekly play dates going, get in the habit of going to play groups, and organize things that make you happy (game nights, etc.). You need to get these going well before December, because Christmas will throw everything off, and it's a lot easier to restart things in January if they already had a few months of precedent.
• Exercise as much as you can. Walk, run, bike, do yoga . . . teach your body to enjoy movement. But even more importantly, learn how to exercise in your house. Find enjoyable ways to get your heart rate up that don't take up much cubic space. I found that a small investment in weights and an aerobic step were huge factors in improving my mood.
• Get out and about now. Go to where the people are, and get to know them. Most wards have areas where people tend to gather. I can promise you, it's worth it to go there to mingle, even if you have to drive. That way, they'll still think to include you once it's cold.
• Find a few people to be gchat buddies. Or texting buddies, if you think your kid might hog the computer watching PBS shows. Either way, having people to spout off to or make fun of the multitudinous typos that occur with gchat makes for much less isolation. Plus, hey, you're keeping a journal now!
• Brainstorm ways to occupy your child's time that don't involve screens. Learn what works and what doesn't now so you'll know what's frustrating and avoid it in the winter. (But don't make your kid bored of it now.)

What are some other ways you've prepared socially and mentally for winter?