I have two things that I seriously enjoy that can only be done during the dark, winter months. The first is Friday afternoon cross-country skiing with my sisters. That is sacred “sister time.” We go out for a quick 3-4 mile cross country skiing trip, then come into the warming hut for some soup, bread and good conversation. It’s something I look forward to all winter long and it keeps the winter blues away. The second thing? My evening meditation.
Now, this one deserves a little more discussion, because it’s just plain fabulous and super easy to do. Before last year, I had two white ceramic Christmas trees that had holes in them to cast light. When the trees were lit and the other ambient lights were off, it would look like there were stars on the ceiling. For some reason, I found that incredibly peaceful and I would set the lights up in our bedroom, turning them on every evening at about 5:30 p.m. when it got dark. Then, I’d just look up at “my stars” while letting my mind wander. Last year for Christmas, my husband bought me a mini planetarium projector. Now, I get “real” stars. 😊 Still, the process is the same. Sometimes, I have a glass of wine, sometimes nothing. It doesn’t matter. I give myself 15-20 minutes to just sit and look at my stars and let my mind drift. It’s absolutely amazing and something I can look forward to every night.
As I struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and my general feelings about winter, I’ve gradually learned that filling my winter months with things I only do during the season go a long way to soothing my winter blues. That includes my jigsaw puzzles, reading a book or two and a long weekend somewhere warm for me to escape winter at the tail end of it. But these two winter escapes are the key to a good winter in my book.
So last night was Day One. Candidly, the star gazing only works after Daylight Savings Time ends. Otherwise, it gets too late in the evening and other things – such as dinner – take precedence. But last night was good. So darned good. After busy, chaotic days, last night’s star gazing was super settling and just a great bridge from workday to home time. Already, I am looking forward to tonight and I can feel myself settling down and starting to (reluctantly) enjoy the cold months.
The super cool thing about this is that it is fairly cheap to do and the impact is incredible. Before the planetarium projector, I made do with leftover decorations. Even though my husband bought me a “nicer” planetarium (it was my big Christmas gift), you can easily purchase one for $30 and honestly, the impact would be the same. Mostly, the lights serve as the point of focus and the daydreams are all your own.
As part of my journey to simple peace, I’ve found that there are things we do along the way and particularly small changes to our environment that facilitate that journey. Whether its enjoying a cup of coffee on the back deck in the warmer months to start my day, having a small campfire in fall to end our day or enjoying my “starlit skies” in the evening in winter, these small, almost inconsequential changes ultimately make a huge impact on my sense of calm, serenity and – honestly – wonder. Getting back to the idea of childlike wonder and hope for the world is key to my simple peace. A little fake star gazing works every time.
The Yuppie Homesteader 