12_07_20

Finding Light in the Darkness

                Depending on what part of our country you live in, you are most likely beginning to experience shorter days.  For those of us living in the northern parts of the United States, as we turn our calendars into December,  we know that winter will be sharing her treasures with us soon.

                The combination of colder days, the absence of the colors of summer, and the shorter daylight hours can be burdensome for some.  I, too, used to dread the actual day that we set our clocks back.  But in recent years, I seem to have become better acclimated to the fewer hours of daylight.

                Oddly enough, I think part of my more moderate reaction to the change of time comes from my being more aware of the changing daylight hours that begin in July.  In the southern parts of New England, around the summer solstice there is still ambient light around 9:00 pm.  But as we move into mid-July, I notice that our days gradually begin to shorten.  And, since the daylight hours decrease gradually, it is less of a shock once the time change becomes official.

                I’ve acquired what I describe as my “strategies” for finding ways to embrace the darkness that accompanies the change of seasons.  To start with, I find more comforting terms than “darkness” to associate with this period of time.

                I like descriptors like “cozy,” “nesting period,” “peaceful,” “introspective,” and so on to associate with the winter months.  Because I am such an avid gardener, I am actively engaged with work in my yard from April through November.   The gardening season begins in early April which is devoted to yard clean up and getting all of my flower beds and pots ready for new plantings.  All of May is consumed with getting everything planted and potted.  June through September is “maintenance,” which includes daily watering and weekly fertilizing, plus devoting time to plantings that are calling for attention.  The culmination of all of this “work” is a beautiful, pleasant and serene setting available to me from May through October. 

                 I am at the mercy of collecting all of the falling leaves through November and parts of December.  Once my leaves are cleared, the only outside work that calls on me for service is clearing out after snowfalls.  Having less need to tend to outside work in the winter months has led me to think of this time period as one that affords great periods for nesting.

                There’s nothing quite like being able to stay home during a snowstorm, especially those that are less threatening.  Knowing that we’re only likely to get 6-8 inches of light snow is reassuring as my snowblower can easily handle clearing that amount of snow.  Winter is a great season to dig out your slow cooker and find your favorite soup recipes.  Staring a soup in the morning and being surrounded by the wonderful aromas all day is a great treat!  An even better gift is the realization that when you’re ready to eat dinner, it is already cooked!

                I am gratefully caught up in Christmas rituals in the first couple of weeks in December.  I do love the holidays, especially the colorful lights, the sense that people are in a more joyful mood, and the opportunity to spend time with others that are an integral part of our lives.  We’re all having to find different ways to celebrate our holidays with others this year in order to stay healthy and safe.

                Through practice and experience, I have learned how to “start early to and to modify my plans as needed” so that I am able to enjoy the holidays.  This particular Christmas season is teaching me that I might wish to scale back even more when we are able to return to some sense of normal.  I feel less stressed this year which is telling me something.  For the first time ever, I mailed by Christmas cards in the first week of December.  Of more importance, I was actually able to take the time to write a short note to everyone, and to spend more time thinking about my wonderful good fortune of having family and friends that I relish in my life. 

                My initial “strategy” for finding ways to enjoy less daylight time is to think of December as celebratory.  I do a fair amount of Christmas baking and cooking as I host multiple gatherings for my circle of friends.   This year I’m doing less Christmas cooking for others.  Instead, I’m following my own advice from years ago in which I reminded myself that there is nothing stopping me from doing fun things for myself.  I start with putting up a real Christmas tree, and look forward to spending three weeks of enjoying the colorful lights, particularly with my morning coffee and evening reflections.

                Once the holidays are behind us, I settle into my deeper “nesting” phase.  There’s less reason to be outside – other than my morning walks, and it feels safer to me during the Covid experience to avoid being out with others except for the essentials like food shopping.

                Living without all of the noise and external stimulation seems to lead me into periods of more reflection.  I am conscious of the approaching Winter Solstice, a day I like to celebrate with lots of light.  I am sure that I could lower my electric bill during these winter months.  I am glad that I learned that experiencing the warmth of light feels especially important to my mental and emotional health. 

Having grown up in the Midwest, close enough to farmland that I watched farmers plough their fields and put them to bed for the winter.   The soil is resting, restoring itself so that it is ready to do the work to bring new seeds to life.

I used the following quote attributed to Caroline Oakes in a class I’m facilitating, and I share it with you as I hope you, too, find it inspiring.  “What a not-to-be-missed treasure that the natural season of Winter can be then, when the ‘nascent light’ inside each of us can turn to, and answer, the promises of light surrounding us everywhere in the December dark – the whisper of candlelight from darkened windows, the blue-black light of dusk against the silhouetted trees of winter.”

What beautiful images!  I, too, find that some internal churning takes place within me during these darker months.  I don’t think I consciously work at it. I think my “whispers of insight owe their origins to the readings, insights, relationships and inklings and work that I have done throughout the year.  I am the slow cooker that allows these ingredients to simmer in the quieter months that allow more time for reflection.”  I think there’s a reason that we make resolutions during these months for they allow us the opportunity to check in with our lives and see if we want to prioritize some new directions for ourselves.

I am drawn to views out my kitchen window, which at certain times each month, I have the gift of seeing the beauty and grace of silhouetted trees, backlit by the moon. 

There are many gifts that can be ours within the winter months….we just have to take the time to claim them and make time for them.