I went out onto the highway in front of the farmhouse, and it seemed that life had simply stopped. The sky and the road were devoid of light, color or sound. Even the crows had gone to ground.
The road seemed to sail off into infinity, and I briefly lost my spirit and started to see ghosts from the past whirling around in my head. I picked up books, and then put them down.
I started to feel like an old car, suddenly out of gas, slowly rolling to a stop. I remembered I was standing alone in the middle of the road, a busy highway full of trucks in a deepening fog.
I walked back into the house, drank a cup of Hard Apple Cider, sat down to read, but I couldn’t focus on the pages. I missed the beautiful gardens that Maria plants. Their smell and bright colors. I sat for a while and stared out the window. I watched Bud and Zinnia play.
I drank more cider.
Up here, the dark days are dark.
Sending loving thoughts and prayers to surround you with love and light. Hope it will help you to feel better.
I know you have a special light for SAD. I would like to purchase one so I was reading about it on the Mayo Clinic site. I was surprised to read there are actually right ways (time of day, distance, length of time …) to use the light in order to get all the benefits and they are also side effects. As recommended by them, I am trying to find one that will filter out harmful ultraviolet (UV) light because some light may not filter all out and UV light can cause skin and eye damage.
This model filters UV rays Nicola https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075H39NDL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thank you Jon!
Winter has beauty all its own and allows nature to hibernate and rejuvenate. Its whiteness and “gloominess” makes us appreciate and enjoy the warmth and bright colors of spring all the more by the contrast.
Kaaren, thanks I love winter, as I have written..not November thoo or the dark days of December…Winter is great..
One summer I spent 3 weeks in the far northern part of Scotland, close enough to the Arctic Circle so that the day length was almost 20 hours. It was exhilarating to have that much daylight and I slept surprisingly well at night. I asked one of the local Scots how in the world they tolerated the flip side – 20 hours of darkness in winter. His response – that’s why we invented whiskey!
Jon, when I lived in PHILA (Phila winter), I would grouse “only fit for Amish farmers” but how would you like a Groundhog Day life? Every day the same 70 degrees – you can’t enjoy a bowl of tomato soup or French onion and a grilled cheese sandwich in 70 degrees! That gloom sure looks good to me. There are no “stay in to read a book” days here!
I completely agree with Eileen P. These gloomy days of winter allow many of us to slow down, sip a cuppa, work a jigsaw puzzle, knit something warm for those who need it, get lost in a book, or curl into a nap. I made it to retirement to drink all of that in. And by March, I’m ready to take walks, garden, see my neighbors again, and enjoy the color of spring blue sky. The rejuvenation is worth every wonderful winter’s day.
There are times I embrace those days when the world coasts to a halt and the wind retreats to the forest. There are times I close my eyes and wait for the warmth of the sun and the wise words of a gentle man.
A friend