At its best, January is a respite from busier months. On my job, it starts slow before ramping up to more active levels later in the month. There is nothing to do but mourn in the garden. The shop is slow until the second week when desperation drives me from the house into the shop’s January chill.
January then winds up at the bottom of the year, least loved and unfavored. It’s something to persevere through – indoor gardening, a model railroad, preparations for the garden, reading, and other activities.
I get outside in the mornings and split firewood. After splitting for a while, you can stop, get a breath of cold air, and appreciate the peace of the woods. It’s better than allowing the winter to infect you with the despair that can come with knowing how long it will be before the spring arrives.
So, at the bottom of the year, the temptation is to freeze in place. But the need is to be active, move ahead, and not give in to the stillness.
If I were to pay to put a billboard out on the highway this time of year, it would say, “Don’t stop; keep moving.”
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Nice 👌
Last night I was thinking about January which is a month I like because no one comes here and the dogs and I are free to walk without worrying about cars, people, other dogs. I’m selfish and I don’t care. Late next month the cranes will return and so will the people. In April things will be pretty OK for a while, but then the determined fecundity will hit the San Luis Valley. But this is our season and we are moving through it.
Everybody has their own schedule; it’s one of my ego errors to think that mine is yours or anyone else’s – your schedule sounds interesting and is in tune with the rhythm of your locale. I think Henry David would enthusiastically approve.
I think he would, too. 🌳🏔️ Ahead this week, though, is coming the first bitter cold and wind of our winter. OH well! No deer flies!
Around the coast here we have a sort of fly called a Greenhead. It’s about the size of a deer fly, and it takes a hunk of flesh when it bites. When I was “green” at the boatyard I was just brushing them off. A friend who was much more knowledgeable told me that brushing them off just made them mad. You had to grab them, roll theom in your fingers and toss them away dead. He was right. But then their kin came looking for revenge.
Sinister MOFOS. The first deer fly bite I got made my ankle swell like it was sprained. I had NO idea. Grrrrrrr….. I guess I’m asking for it if I walk in a swamp…
Lou,
Your piece on navigating January’s challenges is spot-on. The call to “Don’t stop; keep moving” is a powerful and motivating message. Great read!
~David