Dark days demand dark chocolate. Obviously. How else to navigate the chasm between last holiday twinkle and first spring crocus? We know what dwells in that valley: Work. Weekend. Work.
The cold slog ahead calls for discipline, determination and a deep, dark secret, one best compounded in private: Melt chocolate, soften with butter, sweeten with sugar, spike with espresso. Scoop into mounds as densely packed with mood-lifting agents as a sphere of molten sunshine.
Slide into the oven and let set. Taste, if you must. Sequester the rest in the freezer, preferably under a bag of peas. Square your shoulders. Tell no one.
When the day grows long, the week turns steep, the month freezes solid, find your stash. Self-prescribe a single dose. Let it come up to temperature, gathering potency. Administer solo, in silence, with or without a steaming cup of coffee.
Return to the grind, revived.