February passed in a series of cold, wet days, late trains, and dozens of cups of tea. I settled in to my new job teaching children English in a nearby city, and weathered the subsequent colds and fevers for the duration of the month. Now two whole months of 2025 are already behind us and we are moving swiftly towards Spring.

My creative energy has been at an all-time low, but I am still on track for my reading goals for the year, have managed to schedule so many long overdue appointments, and spent quality time with those I adore. I have to remind myself that these periods of long days spent at the window with a book (illness aside) and evenings spent doing word puzzles with my partner are part of the fabric of life.

One of the highlights of this past month was a complete and very welcomed surprise. I had the great fortune of winning a giveaway from Lingoda, in which I won 50 free classes and a laptop. Lingoda is a language learning platform that I have been wanting to try for a long time to better my German and begin my journey with French or Italian. If you’re hoping to get serious with learning a new language this year and have the funds to do so, I would genuinely suggest their service.

While February was difficult in many ways, there were shining moments and tiny breakthroughs that I am thankful for. I am hoping this coming month will bring more focus to my creative practice, travel, and more time spent with those I love.

Here are some bits I wrote this month:

The stars hid their faces from us that night. The sky was dark and we missed them, didn’t we?

It was summer and the sun was hungry for our skin.

A future in cruel hands is always in danger of being crushed.

I hope winter has treated you kindly and your spring arrives soon.

Love, Ariel