Tripping over frozen manure, ice-cold fingers that sting when they thaw and the welcome high of a whopping 10 degrees Fahrenheit are all signs that we are covered in the deep freeze of winter.

Every morning we wake up and wonder what part of the farm will be frozen; no hot water in the bathroom, but hot and cold in the kitchen. We have iced-over frost-free hydrants in the steer barn, but ice-free water in the heifer barn.

When the temperature dips below zero and the wind picks up speed, we begin to take bets on what will be frozen when we head to the barn for chores.

After a heavy snowfall and wind that wouldn’t stop, we were thankful for the plow truck that came along just in time to get the milk truck out of the snow drift and unplug the road so he could get the rest of the way to the barn. And shoveling the porch steps off is an everyday job now.

I’m tempted to moan and groan about the stinging wind in my face and my wet gloves that turn to ice, but when I read about 20 Christians being beheaded or a group of people being set on fire to burn to death on the other side of the world, my perspective on a little cold weather takes a quick 180-degree turn.

Times get tough for all of us. Missed deadlines, confrontations with co-workers, tears from a heartbroken 14-year-old … they are all bumps in the road that can bring us down.

We can live in the squalor and defeat of that moment and make ourselves more miserable or we can have a good cry, change our perspective and move forward to make things better.

It’s not easy; I know that from experience. I’ve been tempted to have my own full-blown pity party many times in the last week, but it does nothing but hold us underwater, unable to kick our way to the surface of survival.

Nothing good comes from living in defeat. Nothing – nada, zip, zero, not one good thing – will come from saying “defeated.” So, why do it? Turn around and find something good about your life. Concentrate on the good and chances are you’ll find more positive than negative.

I’m sitting in a warm farmhouse with electricity, heat, food – and now I have hot water in the bathroom. I’ve been served some tough circumstances this week but I’m a far cry from the hardship, devastation and grief faced by so many around the world.

Today I will tell my complaints to take a leap and count my blessings instead. Never. Give. Up. Are you with me?

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.