material: liquid

Every morning I sit down at my desk and drink a cup of warm tea. Although redundant, this ritual is not buried beneath the persistent second-hand of my morning clock. As I grip the ceramic in both hands, I can feel the warmth spread through my palms and as I tip the cup it travels down my throat, past my lungs and heart until it finally falls to the pit of my stomach. Within moments my thoughts are clearer and my head lighter. I am especially grateful for these moments during the cold winter months when warmth is hard to come by. Many fend off the chills with coats and hats and leggings, but the wind always finds a way into that nook between your neck and shoulder where your scarf doesn't quite reach. And it's not an independent chill, content to sit upon your collar bone while you walk the sidewalk, head bowed. It seeps like thick ink across a page, rendering your armor practically useless. But, my cup of tea is my elixir, raising my body temperature from within so that I may more squarely face the rain and wind.
So my advice is to prepare yourself. Even before you know of a cold front headed your way, to build your defenses from the inside. Construct the strongest of fortresses so that you may endure the thickest of arrow falls. You'll still get the glory of battle, but with your head intact.






(what im trying to say is that cold weather/battles represent the hard times, and it's best to prepare for the hard times by strengthening yourself from within because we can't always change what is around us, we can only control our reactions to it, i just wanted to have fun with some extended metaphors.)