JANUARY

For so many of us living in the Northern hemisphere – the far northern hemisphere –  January is a month that most wish didn’t exist.  That it wasn’t even on the calendar.  Some folks flee the country for warmer places to live out the winter.  Those cold dark months of overdressing and treacherous driving and snow shovelling behind them.  Yes, the days are short which actually creates a mindset of not getting much done because we don’t have much daylight but….there are still 24 hours in the day.  Don’t be fooled by illusions.  Some just want to hibernate…let’s just endure until it’s over. But we are wasting valuable time people.  Life is short, let’s not just wish certain months away.   What if we had a paradigm shift and started seeing and using January as a month of opportunity.  There are so many months that are too busy to do the things we dream of and love.  We are just go go going and we feel jipped that we don’t get to do things we want to do.  Let’s use January for that.  I mean, if your dream is to visit  the Caribbean then I guess January is your month.  But for those of us that don’t have that option…better to change our mindset than whine and complain.   It is what it is.  January can be a month for enjoying slow living.  Catching up on our reading.  Engaging in our indoor hobbies.  For someone like me…I can knit and paint and write and sew.  I can cook my way through a new cookbook and discover some cozy new recipes.  I can send out New Years cards (that were originally supposed to be Christmas cards).  Actually it would be great if Christmas was at the end of January.  We’d have all that extra time to get ready and to enjoy the season.  And the bleak midwinter would pass by quicker.  Who says we can’t just enjoy the season anyway?  I’m taking my real Christmas tree down to avoid a  fire hazard but I am just going to enjoy the seasonal decor a while longer.  The garlands and the mini lights.  The reds and the greens.  The hygge.  There are no Christmas police.  But if you really want to get it down,  then this is a great month for cleaning, purging and organizing.  A great month for construction or renovating.   A great month to rearrange the furniture or redecorate with what you already have.  Get creative. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast then go skating and skiing and cross country skiing and come home to enjoy a nice warm stew, a hot bath, a nap by the fire. January, as we all know, is a great month for reflection and implementing change. To spend time deep thinking and planning and goal setting. It’s not a month to endure.  It’s valuable time and lets make the most of it.  And while you’re at it….do the same in February.  Before you know it will be spring and time to start thinking about the garden and the cottage and longer days and warmer weather. I actually love that I live in a place that has seasons but that’s a blog for another day.