Still life with fruits and paper crowns

Inspiration is eluding me and as there are few notions swirling in my brain. I am in thought hibernation, awaiting a thaw to warm my frozen state of mind. A few ideas about resolutions have flitted about, but there are probably better stories out there and more glib magazine articles that could do better justice than I. Ah, I hate this post holiday time of year. The gray days, the threat of winter squalls and storms, the early darkness and the need to start things anew in the dead of winter. My favorite Christmas hymn, In the Bleak Midwinter is never more appropriate than now. In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan. Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen , snow on snow, snow on snow. In the bleak midwinter, Long ago. The song is about the birth of Christ and the brightness soon to follow his arrival. It's about finding something within yourself to give, to show love, appreciation, a simple bit of sharing of ones self. I like the opening stanza; it best describes this time of year. The world feels desolate and cold yet if you hold on and believe, a love and happiness will come to you. Either that or you will freeze to death in some cold garret, like the little match girl.

We had a lovely Holiday season, many visitors and parties, fun times and lots to eat and drink. Perhaps too much of all of the above actually. Feeling the post-partum, mid-winter blahs again. You could set a watch to my moods. Predictable as the changing of the seasons. Mostly I am just now coming down from a solid week of guests and too much stimulation. Put me in an isolation tank, I'm ready for my sensory deprivation time now. It's not so much depression or true winter blues, it's more a feeling of now what? You rush to get through Christmas. The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day feels like a week and then BOOM! it's over. The week between Christmas and New Year's day goes by in a blink. As great as the holidays were this year - simple with minimal gift buying and light on obligations, there is that sense of having to slog through the long month of January without much to look forward to...except January 20th, Inauguration Day. Spring and possible warmer days are at least 2 months away. Baseball season, Pitchers and Catchers for Spring training, still two months away. Biking season and daffodils, all two months away. No wonder the retail, gym and weight loss marketing worlds go into over-drive come January 1st. If we don't try to improve ourselves, lose weight, reorganize and get our lives back into order, we may all jump off a bridge or not get out of bed. January should be considered the official month of self improvement. Better living through retail therapy and gym memberships.