January Blues

So it's January... Bleh. I confess out of the 12 months of the year I struggle most with January. It's long (technically, not longer than other months but, boy does it feel super long). Christmas is over. And here in the Northern Hemisphere - it's wretchedly cold. It's still dark early.  No flashy, exciting holidays to look forward to... Unless you count MLK Day, which is hard to label festive or fun. Did I mention it's cold? Really cold. And summer feels SO far away. Heck, even Spring feels like it's at least two cold, wet, miserable months away. *sigh*

I always dream of spending the whole winter in sunny Florida or, even better, flying to Brasil to visit my husbands family and just spending the whole month of January basking in the sun and the heat of the tropics. I tend to spend a LOT of time on travel blogs this particular month while dreaming of future vacation possibilities to escape the cold and drab days. It can't be healthy.

There is an actual disorder - SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder, that I remember studying in one of the most fascinating college courses I ever took: Abnormal Psychology. Good stuff! Anyway, folks suffering from this disorder experience mental health issues and depression during certain seasons, most commonly winter. So it's really a thing. And sun or light therapy is one of the treatments. I really wish I could be prescribed a trip to Disney World or a Bahamian cruise and have our health insurance cover it... Now I know I'm dreaming!

But though I joke that I have SAD (I really don't) most people do experience the January Blues to some degree or other. And when I fall into this funk I try to remember a few helpful pieces of advice to give myself a mini pep-talk.

1. Nothing lasts forever. Not even winter.
2. God brings everything in its season. His timing is always "on-time" - it's never late.
3. Winter allows the earth to rest and the cycle of growth and life to reset. Rest is important.
4. There is beauty in this day. Look for it in the unexpected and the unusual.
5. Seasons have purpose. What purpose do I have for THIS season of my life?

And perhaps the most pivotal, life-altering, mind-bending, difficult idea of all...

6. During the dog-days of summer, when the heat is melting my brain, I will wish for winter snow and the welcome cool of fall. I will. It happens every year. And I'll find myself wishing away summer. But then I'll do something else, something radical. I'll pray for contentment. Just like I do in January. And hopefully, someday the prayer I pray for contentment and peace and joy in THIS season, whatever it is, will cause my heart to delight in the "here and now" not the "when and then."

So I'm embracing January and giving myself as many pep-talks as necessary to survive with grace and, hopefully, even a little gratitude for what God is doing today. January 23, 2015.