With nearly two more months to go, this fall/winter season has already been filled with more sadness than many could have imagined. Out of control wildfires that then precipitated giant mudslides, left many homeless, their entire family history burned or washed away. Extreme cold temperatures in many areas brought everything from annoying difficulties to death. Inane violence to innocent people occurs regularly. Stories of abuse, physical and mental, fill the airwaves, predators indiscriminately exploiting adults as well as our children. We’ve dealt with power failures that caused transportation hubs throughout the world to temporarily collapse and governments, shut down because of the child-like bickering and theatrics of those who were elected to work for the people and not, their political party.
Darkness falls early, sucking away the warmth that light brings. The winter darkness embraces fear, desolation, and loneliness. According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, the month with the most average number of deaths in the US is January, followed by December, February and then March. Obviously, not all these deaths are seasonally related, but when you consider home fires from faulty heating or electrical systems, auto related accidents as well as colds and flu, the chances of dying does seem to increase. Add to that the number of elderly and homeless who simply pass away from lack of adequate heat or heart attack victims who overexert themselves shoveling snow.
One of the best “survival” techniques for getting through this time of the year with at least an ounce of sanity is optimism. Yes, the sun will come out tomorrow. We may not see it through the rain and sleet, but the sun is definitely still out there. Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, reminds us that yes, today the darkness will fall, but tomorrow will be a tiny bit lighter and the day after that, lighter still. Soon the sun will warm the earth and new life will spring forth. All we’ve got to do is focus on the light and not get sucked into the darkness. While we wait for that big ball in the sky to do its thing, let’ see if we can spread a little sunshine of our own. “I’m gonna let it shine.”
Volume #2 of Survive Live Well and Wisely will be out shortly on Kindle with articles dealing with winter and how best to get through it safely and suggestions for getting a head start on spring.
Sharon