Nero Wolfe, author Rex Stout’s celebrated fictional detective, had a particular outlook on life… “This is a pleasant surprise, Archie. I would not have believed it. That of course is the advantage of being a pessimist; a pessimist gets nothing but pleasant surprises, an optimist nothing but unpleasant.”

He’s not wrong, but it’s no way to live. I say this as someone who has doddered along as an avowed pessimist for nearly half a century. Too often and too late I have discovered that my sour outlook has soured everything else around me and it needs to stop.
I have been striving for a more positive outlook these days. I do realize that blind optimism (Pollyannaism) is not healthy, either, and one must needs strike a balance between the two. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst, as it were.
I am of the mindset that I will do some wonderful winter photography this coming cold season. I have also planned for lousy weather and days where I will be trapped indoors because no amount of wishing makes dangerous conditions go away. I have cameras that work in the cold, I have new longjohns, and I have pocket hand warmers. There are also backup plans for indoor shoots. Bring it.

Image from a Canon EOS 7D with a Canon 70-300 EF IS USM 4-5.6 lens with 12mm extension tube.