December 30, 2023
I threw the Christmas lists out this morning. There were still a few unchecked things to be done, but there’s no sense keeping track of what I meant to buy and what I meant to do and so I tossed the list with some regret. I’m counting on January to help me find the soul that seems to have been buried with all the doings of the December Rush. January days can be cold and dark, but they can also be a time of rebirth as the daylight slowly comes back into our lives. The garden is at rest and so the chores are less. The lawnmowers and leaf blowers have finally silenced themselves for this spell, and may they rest in peace. Soon there will be snowplows plying the roads when winter decides to really come calling, as it always does. But for today, the neighborhood is quiet except for the call of winter birds and the rustle of wind through the tall pines.
Mary Oliver, my favorite poet, once wrote: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” In her poem “A Summer’s Day,” she was reflecting on a single grasshopper but also about so much more. Her poems have a way of asking the reader think about life from a different perspective.
That’s what I am hoping for as we approach the dark days of winter. A chance to look at it from a different perspective, as one of hope and renewal instead of dread. Maybe we can use this time to tackle the piles of stuff that are cluttering our lives. Less stuff gives more room for energy, and there’s something therapeutic about a trip to Goodwill or Savers…as long as we leave with a much smaller bundle than we came in with. Then, there is our artistic side that is begging to be noticed. We all are blessed with creative genes, and they can be expressed in so many different ways. Time to take out the craft box, be it filled with needles and yarn or cloth and thread. Maybe it has pens and inks and paper to draw on or to write. Take out the stack of cookbooks or garden books to plan ahead or to just dream. Dust off the musical instrument. Tackle that challenging novel. Sing your favorite songs out loud and out of tune if you must. Write a letter just because. Practice yoga. Pray to God. January. Thirty-one days. So much to do and so little time.
