There’s a counter-intuitive technique for getting comfortable in cold weather: relax. Stop trying to withstand the cold and lean in. When frost crystals form on your eyelashes and spearmint-fresh air shocks your lungs, it’s surprisingly helpful to remember that extreme cold is part of the natural cycle of planetary life. We spent this week’s polar vortex curled under down quilts, but mentally, we traveled across the poles, swam with penguins, and learned how to freeze and thaw in winter ponds. And now that we have a deeper appreciation of the cold… is it spring yet?
—Anne