Light

 

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year. Today we begin the return to light. It's a long, slow process. One I welcome because the darkness invites self- reflection and interior glow. My word for 2022 was light. I didn't honor or manifest the word as powerfully as I hoped. There are covert reasons that it was incompatible with the year and clandestine causes too. There in lies the work.  As the days imperceptibly lengthen and then noticeably linger, I hope to be enlightened.

It's snowing as predicted, but it's a soft, playful scene out my window. I suppose the blast is coming as well as the drop in temperatures. That has me pondering a trail walk, but I have the trees on and am deeply in the mood to cocoon. I bundled up for a late afternoon walk the other day and was reminded how beneficial getting out (even in the chilly air) is good for my mental health.

I planned carefully to stay put for the next 48 hours. I was shopping for groceries by 7:30 yesterday morning. I cannot remember the last time I was even up that early. I had the store to myself. That meant no cashiers either, but in one of my past lives I was a cashier. I got the job done. I did some pick ups and drop offs and then got things squared away at work until the new year. Linda and I exchanged gifts and then went for a holiday lunch. A lunch we'll laugh about for a long time because of the meal we put together. A delicious meal. My dessert was a nap with my girl Hazel.

Lily has her last exam today. She'll take it in her room. Ted's FINAL final is tonight on campus. This is not ideal because of the weather. He may be stranded a little longer than planned. That's a bummer, because we really want to celebrate our college Grad. He's only home for a few days as he leaves the 28th for San Diego for NYE with Meryl. From there, he'll travel to BC to ski in the Canadian Rockies with buddies. Not a bad graduation gift. He'll be walking with his friends in spring, which will be nice. Sharing a birthday with Christmas is quite enough.

I'm looking forward to slowly getting ready for Christmas the next couple days. I have a few more batches to bake and goodies to deliver to neighbors. My Christmas menu is a little unconventional and that's okay. Think a menagerie of homemades with everyone's favorites in mind. There are some more gifts to wrap, but this year we have cut down on our Christmas consumption and I feel good about that. I greeted the UPS driver in the driveway yesterday to collect my packages and assured him that would be the last. He full belly laughed. Eventually, the house will be tiddied.

This liminal space is where much of the magic happens for me. be.here.now