I was so happy all day today - a new era has dawned in U.S. politics, and I feel so very hopeful!
So happy... until about 15 minutes ago when the sun... started... to... go... down...
The switch back to Sun Time always clobbers me in the face with how long the nights are, how short the days are, and how cold my bones are going to be for the next several months. I call it the Long Dark, aka, the Tunnel.
At various times, I have chosen to combat the Long Dark with:
1. Huge, deliciously scented pillar candles (but I fell asleep with a candle lit on the mantelpiece a few years ago and vowed nevermore)
2. Daily walks around Green Lake (requiring a 20-degree parka from my Favorite Northeastern Catalog, gloves, hat, scarf, and requisite whining)
3. Afternoon tea-drinking (thanks to the Teahouse Kuan Yin, I can have my tea and sleep, too... very lovely varieties of not-too-caffeinated tea are available).
4. Lighting the gas fireplace on the stroke of 4:15.
Still, the beginning of November brings with it a real sense of loss as the sun slips away and I contemplate the months ahead before we begin to emerge from the Tunnel. What do you do to keep the Long Dark at bay?
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5 comments:
For those of us who didn't grow up in these Northern latitudes, it can certainly be a slap on the face when Daylight Time ends, and then the days are still shrinking until Dec 21st!!
I think it can be hardest for the office workers who are "cubicalized" in a windowless environment all day. Even if it is a misty, dreary day, I think that getting outdoors even for a 10 minute walk around the block can refresh your body's sense of being.
(Although you may have to argue with your employer to hold on to your sense of being!)
It also helps to bring back memories of sitting on your porch at 9:30 PM in late June. There are two sides to the coin, remember!
For the cubical-ized, and actually any of us who work indoors, I highly recommend getting a light box - they are a bit pricey, but 10,000 lumens for 15-30 minutes a day can really lift your spirits.
One thing I've thought about this year is to be very planful with my own self about these dark times. Last year, and many of the years before, I just let myself feel trapped and resentful in the dark evenings. I want to be able to say - yes, these are the dark times and this is how I plan to spend these dark evenings. My ideas so far include getting to the gym (the car does still operate in the dark and the rain), doing 1000 piece jigsaws with an i-pod full of Brahms and world music, yoga, learning the viola, and yes, that insta-fireplace we had installed in the summer! There's always planning the garden, too . . . Wish me luck.
For me, it's not the darkness that traps me so much as the incessant rain. I'm usually fine until mid January, when I'm tempted to claw at my own skin. The dark is okay for me as long as I get outside at some point during the day to enjoy the light. When it rains there isn't much light to enjoy, hence my mid-Jan insanity.
I totally agree about the rain. November (which contains my birthday, school holidays, etc, all of which should be fun) feels like the beginning of a soggy nightmare to me. This year, I have decided that part of the problem lies in a lack of proper gear. So much as I don't want to shop & buy more things, I'm going to invest in a pair of rain boots and some warm pants that are at least water resistant. That way I can still take the VLD out for his walks, get my natural light fix (if there's any to be had) and stave off cabin fever. I like the idea of being "planful" as well.
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