Sunlight Returning

I’ve made coffee. It’s not my favorite, but I wanted to make anyone sad and slow feel welcome here. A nice hot carafe sits ready. Of course, there’s tea as well. These long, cold days have been lingering too long. Rest assured, the light is coming. The longest night has passed us. The sunlight lengthens each day, even if the cold doesn’t let up. Even behind the clouds, the sun stays longer. She says, “I’ve missed you. I’m coming back around.” It won’t be long now.

Has the weight of winter been heavy on you? The blanket of cold or snow, weighing you down? It has for me. I’m long tired of my coat and earmuffs, no matter how cozy. I’m ready for a light cardigan and a walk on a dappled path, under trees and maybe there is a light breeze. Oh, how lovely, to feel the sun warming my face in the morning.

Did you know, I read, that most New Year’s Resolutions have been given up by January 9? Doesn’t that seem early? I have a thought on that. I think that we aren’t meant to be remaking ourselves in the winter. Remember when we talked about wintering? Resting? Being easy with ourselves? We are still in that season, friend. The cold still calls us to rest and restore. The calendar marks a new beginning of months, but our season is yet unchanged. Why call yourself to unnatural expectations?

Did you make a resolution? Did you give it up by January 9th? Did you check in with yourself to be sure the resolution was reasonable? I also read an article (I read a lot) about how to reshape expectations for the new year in nine different parts of your life. NINE?! The gentle slant on an article calling for reform in nine areas of life seems a little like a bait and switch to me. Nine feels excessive. But, alas, this is the messaging we see: reshape your life, reshape your body, reshape your career. On and on it goes, in the dead of winter, when we should still be resting. I am decidedly unsurprised that these so called resolutions don’t last more than two weeks.

I think I’ll resolve to let the sun come back into warmth before I set any grandiose ideas about how my year should be. She is coming to warm us and we can choose to be patient. We can resolve to take the opportunity to insist on rest during the restful season. The darkness has already lost it’s hold on our days. The sunlight is returning and with it, our strength to make new goals- padded by the meaningful quiet space we took for ourselves during our wintering.