1.3 They (inexplicably) call her Dawn.

Yup. Another gray morning. Actually, at this point today's daybreak feels so long ago that I'd swear it happened yesterday. Or maybe that's just because it looked the same.

Last night I went to a friend's dinner party (I made these, seriously) and drank three glasses of white wine and played Celebrities and, of course, got home around 12:30AM.

Still, I felt less whiny when I got out of bed today, even though one look at the sky promised it would be just another gray walk (no people at all out, today). It was a bit warmer, which was nice. But I just couldn't get much out of it. I caught the morning routines--hysterical screeching birds over the kid's park, a couple of people getting ready in bakery. But I just can't squeeze an ounce of soul-soothing feeling out of an overcast sky so dull it looks like children forgot to color it in. Or the hunks of dirty ice-snow and puddles of melted dirty water.

SAD is real, people. And it's sad. And it's not because it's cold that people feel terrible, in my opinion, but because the sun ceases to exist for days at a time. Where does it go? Why doesn't it love us anymore? What time of day is it?

When I got home I crawled right back into bed and it felt sublime. Cloudy blankets are better than cloudy skies. When you go outside, experience the morning and conclude you aren't missing much, your bed isn't such a marker of failure. See, usually naps and late-morning sleeping depresses me as I see the sun outside my window and feel a little closer to death in my nest of hibernation. This morning it was a soft and inviting refuge.

Today and yesterday, I simply couldn't get myself to feel that an early morning overcast walk at dawn is anything more inspiring than an overcast walk at noon, or 3PM, or 10PM. Because it'll look about the same every time.

But if there's a sunrise to see, by all means wake up, commune with it, rejuvenate and start your day. The blues and reds and purples and yellows all melting together and expanding and shifting are calming and centering. The first day was a lovely morning despite a late night. The point is to see the beauty you take for granted. And when it's there, it's worth it.

The Verdict:

• The sunrise requires the sun. Check the weather, or look out your window.
• Wear legwarmers if you're going to watch it in Chicago in February.