Dark Morning Musings
It’s darker and darker when I wake up lately - no surprise as we are approaching the shortest day of the year. What is perhaps a little surprising, is that I love it. I am loving waking up in the dark, turning on the stove light, and my essential oil diffuser, and seeing maybe one or two lights on in neighbourhood windows. Seymour snoring on the couch beside me (yes, we let our giant beast on the couch - it is basically his couch at this point), Shane still asleep in a nest of blankets. I love this time. It’s quiet, it’s mine. Before the day really wakes up and we get on to the chores of life.
Lately I’ve been getting up at 5:30, and although part of me doesn’t love it, most of me does love it. I have to get better at getting to bed earlier, but I am getting pretty good at the getting up earlier!
It’s funny how things change. There was a time I would have hated getting up this early. There was definitely a time I dreaded winter. The darkness, the long hours with no sunshine, the endless rain and grey (I live in the Pacific Northwest). I’ve always loved Christmas, but dreaded what comes after.
Lately, though, I don’t mind any of it. I am loving the coziness of dark mornings and dark afternoons. I am loving the lights of Christmas - as always - but also looking forward to the after-Christmas clean-up, the white space when it’s all over, the newness of January. I haven’t really noticed endless rain yet. Fog, yes, which I love, but not the rain. I know we’ve had it, but, so far, it hasn’t been miserable. I am totally WISHING for snow - I love it. Just a weekend or two, please? But if we don’t get any here, I will at least get a taste of it when we head to Ontario for Christmas.
The dark, short days of winter will soon pass, spring will arrive as it always does, and then summer will come bounding around the corner. Those seasons are wonderful, delightful, easy to love. But for now, I am soaking up this time, the darkness, the quietness, and I am loving it all.
