A half-full look ahead

The winter solstice can be seen as either a glass that's half empty or a glass that's half full.

The solstice on Dec. 21 marked the change from fall to winter. Here in northern New England it was quite a change with a severe ice storm, and a snow storm, then another snow storm following each other in quick succession over the course of 10 days.

This official start to winter tends to give some folks a dim view of what seems like a long winter slog toward spring. They don't like the cold, snow and ice. And the fact that we lost daylight saving time means most people are commuting home from work in the dark. Even the term "fall back" gives the impression that we've retreated, that the future is a glass half empty.

But here's the reason I come down on the side of half full. The days are getting longer.

I think most people lose sight of that piece of good news because that ever-so-gradual improvement gets lost in the more overwhelming consequences of winter. And this winter can give the impression of being especially dark -- the economy sucks, the job market sucks, the weather can be brutal on the psyche.

Here are a few bright spots that I'll keep in mind as we add more sunlight, about a minute a day from Dec. 21, when the sun set at 4:12 p.m.:

Inauguration Day
On Jan. 20, the sun will set at 4:41 p.m. and Barack Obama will have been sworn in as the 44th president. It is a bright spot of politics after eight years of darkness. I take the half-full view that Obama's promise of change and hope won't be lost in the history of political rhetoric.

Baseball's spring training
Red Sox pitchers and catchers report for spring training in Ft. Myers, Fla., on Feb. 16. The sun will set that day at 5:16 p.m.

Daylight Savings
We'll "spring forward" -- now doesn't that sound more optimistic? -- on Sunday, March 8. The sun sets at 6:42 p.m. that day.

May graduation
My son graduates from Boston College on Monday, May 18.The sun sets at 8:04 p.m.

Each of those events -- and certainly more along the way -- will help keep my glass half full as I make my way through the long winter months. In order to winter well around here you need a correctly filled glass.