Abraham Lincoln supposedly said that “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be,” which is good to think about when the temperature is 10 degrees, the wind is gusting to 50 mph, and the air is filled with snow.

It’s a matter of keeping things in perspective, something Lincoln mastered.

We’ve had a lot of nasty weather in New England since Jan. 1. I’ve lived here more than 30 years so I know there are two options to confront the winter: leave, or grit your teeth. I am in no position to leave, so when the fourth storm in four weeks blew through, I figured we would hunker down. During a New England winter you worry about losing power, about missing work and school, about the growing bill to the guy who plows the driveway. You cope by keeping in mind that spring eventually will arrive. (It always arrives later than you want or expect it to, but it does get here, and in February it doesn’t pay to focus on details.)

All was fine – I was even-keeled — until I began a correspondence with a friend who lives in Los Angeles. She keeps up on the national weather news and is always sympathetic when we’re getting pounded.

“Are you getting another blizzard tonight?” she asked at the end of an email.

“No, I replied, “it looks like it’s going out to sea. It got up to 36 degrees today — we were almost in T-shirts!”

Talk about keeping my perspective. Not just stoic, but humorous, too.

“It was beautiful today,” she continued. “Down by the beach it was about 72 degrees with ocean air. Soooo relaxing. I took the scenic route home. Can’t waste a beautiful day like this.”

I don’t begrudge L.A. people their great weather. They put up with smog, traffic congestion, earthquakes. And in New England, though some call us grumpy, we say we’re tough.

“It’s going to go to zero tomorrow,” I wrote.

“I’m so sorry! Is that with the wind chill factor? It is supposed to be in the 90s this week.”

No.

No, in fact, it would be zero without the wind chill factor.

With that, my perspective broke. I wanted to be in Los Angeles, on the beach, watching a pick-up volleyball game and planning dinner. Something from a taco truck, which we don’t have in New England, even during the summer.

I had forgotten about Lincoln but I knew that I’d be better off if I got back to reality sooner than later. We are responsible for our own realities, right? Luckily, it was time to shovel the walk, which always cheers me up.