The air was crisp and so were the stars as I walked out to check the mail, long after it had been delivered.  It was pitch black, and dinner had already been served, dishes cleaned, babies bathed and put to bed.  I breathed deep, smelled the earth, the air, and let the cold clear out the fuzz and frustations of the day.  The day had been long and full of screaming - the kids' and mine. And I realized as I took that brief stroll that I should have stepped outside, with the littles, earlier in the day - braved the cold - just to let the sun and wind and sharpness whisk away the bad feelings and refresh us.  Or at least make just a little more grateful for the warmth once we rushed back inside, noses red and hands aching from the bitter cold.