Gray January


 I don't like January.  I'm not particularly fond of February either.  March has its ups and downs, but March brings forth spring; even if it doesn't always feel like it.

The cold months have always been difficult for me.  It's not so much the cold; it's the gray. (Although I confess that I am NOT a fan of cold; is it any wonder that I take hot bathes at the end of the day and there hurry off to bed in warm jammies?  Who even wants to get out of bed when it is dark and cold?  Burrowing down under the covers just might be a national pastime!) January and February are to me, the grayest months of the year and I am not a fan of gray.  I like the white of the snow when it falls from a gray sky, but all too soon that that fluffy white turns to gray.  Is there anything more depressing than gray skies and gray ground?  Most of the trees are barren and gray; even those that keep their green needles seem to have a grayish tint.

I know the days are getting longer and I rejoice in that, but it always seems to me that the darkness comes more quickly than the light.  It doesn't help that now that Epiphany has come and gone, my family (and many people) have taken down their holiday decorations.  Decorations that were filled with light.  (As well as hope and joy.)

After the initial celebration of the New Year, I've settled back into the cold reality of life as we currently know it.  We may be in a new year, but we are still stuck in a pandemic and the numbers keep climbing.  This new strain is sneaky and extremely contagious, which has caused us to slide back into remoteness.  (School for the past week WAS in person for my son, but only a half day so there was no eating and removing of masks.)  "My" thrift shop where I volunteer closed early due to the increase in cases and many churches have returned to virtual only; and not just because of Covid, but because of weather concerns.

Who wants to go out when it is cold and icy?  I certainly don't and I miss the walks I could take in the warmer months.  I have difficulty seeing the beauty in the dank gray, even if I could go out.

The good news, and no matter how dark things may seem we can always look for the good and find it, is that there are only 70 days till spring.  (As I write this that is).  And while 70 is a big number, every day that goes by we get a little closer; we get a little lighter.  Time moves forward, the gray WILL turn to green.  The chill will pass...the warmth of the sun will fill the skies again.

It's okay to feel gray inside when it is gray outside.  As tough as it may be, I need to remember (we all need to remember) that the gray is NOT permanent.  Nothing is.  Cold melts into warmth. The gray skies will be pushed away by blue and the yellow sun will shine.  The gray slush will melt away and the green will push out of the ground and the earth will be filled with color again.

 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Have Taken America Back

Image
Back to a time when all men (and women) are not created equal.  Where women's healthcare is determined by men's laws and not by medical professionals. Where education tells only the "winning" side of the story and truth does not matter.  Where banning and burning books is a social event.  Where people who are "different" than those in power can be mocked, shunned and hurt with no real consequences. Where lies are acceptable and integrity is  just a word on a page We have moved into a time where rage is the rage.  Where hate is not just normal, but accepted and even cheered. Where leaders can ask to have their "enemies" killed and no one will bat an eye.  Where it's "funny" to see someone struggle.  Where felony is applauded. Where compassion is not shown and caring for others is looked down upon. We have taken America back to a time of pain and suffering for many.  Back to when the "haves" can have and the have nots don'...
Read more

It's Not About Starbucks (or is it)?

Image
  About a block and a half from my home in a major intersection.  At the southeast corner (which is nearest to me), is an empty building.  Back in 1995 it was a Bank of NY (I remember this because they didn't shovel/de-ice their parking lot well and my husband fell and broke his ankle one Monday morning.  I recall this clearly because we were not yet married and it was the first day of a new job for me.  I had gotten on the bus to work and he was catching a later one; only he never got there.  Instead he ended up laying on the ground until an employee came to open up the bank.  Then he had them call an ambulance AND my mother who took control of the situation until I arrived home that night blissfully unaware of what had happened that day.)  It eventually became a Chase Bank; the second one in my small little town.  It eventually closed.  I'm not sure when but it's been empty for quite a long time.  (I do know that it was open in 20...
Read more

As Is

Image
  Today I want to discuss what I think it is a relatively simple concept, but may be difficult for some, even an attorney who might have once, over a decade ago won a  prestigious award  for young lawyers .  That term is "AS IS." As you may know, I volunteer in a thrift shop.  Everything we sell, from all the donations we receive, is "as is."  The items are not brand new.  They are not perfect.  That doesn't mean they aren't any good or worth something. They are sold "as is."  Buyers should go in knowing that. (After all you are shopping in a thrift shop!)  In some cases, particularly when we are offering higher end products, we will actually write on the price tag, "as is." Such is the case of two designer purses that I purchased from there this summer.  (I'm a purse-aholic!  Don't look in my closet.)  They were reasonably priced (especially when you consider the name brand), but each had an "as is" clearly marked o...
Read more