I’m a person who relies on my environment to regulate the way I feel, and I depend on my surroundings for inspiration.

With less than two months to go until the shortest day of the year, I’m reminded that now the sun only stays up during the hours I spend in a class room, starting at a computer screen that’s usually as bare as the trees outside the window.

Since I can’t think of anything to write, I check the weather. The forecast predicts light snow for tomorrow – the first snow of the supposedly formidable winter we’ll experience this year. The flurries are not supposed to last all day, regardless it is getting colder, which means I’ll have to put my bike away for the winter.

This reminds me that I should buy a bus pass soon, which in turn reminds me that my bank account is probably empty.

After I incorrectly type in the address of my online banking site, I’m greeted by a pop-up ad asking me if I know just how bad the average credit ratings are for most people my age, which the ad specifies is 25-34.

Now I’m worried about the future economy, as well as the privacy and security of my personal information. And when did I become old enough to be statistically lumped in with 34-year-olds?

There’s an old saying: ‘No news is good news,’ and lately it seems to be true, except with the emphasis placed on the word ‘no.’ I can’t remember the last time I read a positive news story. I’m sure the stories are there, but they’ve been so overshadowed by the reports of hopelessness that it’s hard not to feel like we should all just give up.

I decide to go on a ‘good news’ hunt, but before I can even begin to move my cursor to the search bar, I notice how much junk is sitting on my desk – nail polish, yarn, a box of crackers, USB cables to who-knows-what – and I remember an article I read about clutter, and how having it around your house can lead to obesity.

Since it’s now a matter of physical health, I decide that the news hunt can wait until after I tidy my house.

Or until tomorrow. Maybe I’ll wake up and the front page of the paper will display a picture of a truly inspiring event. And maybe then I’ll have something to write about.