The Inky Blackness of the Solstice

OK, I'm trying to get in the mood to write this post but we've got amazing, bright sunshine pouring in through the windows right now.  But not complaining one iota....especially since it starts getting dark so early this time of year.

Dark dark dark.  Get up when it's dark, go to work in the dark and drive home in the dark.  When it's grey, dreary and dark it's like living in a black and white TV set!  And my eyes feel dragged down and tired.  Hard to explain. 

But the deep rhythms of changing seasons are fascinating to me.  No matter how rushed and busy we have become over generations, no matter how much new technology gets infused into our lives...the seasons chug along the same way they have for probably millions of years.

I rush around to various parties and search for just the right Christmas gifts.  Yet deep within me there is a sense of Still. Of Iciness. And of Calm.  This is the bottom of the big roller coaster of our seasons.  Summer tips over to Fall and whooshes down to Winter.  Then, we climb out and back up again to Spring.  I know people who literally whoop with joy when the Winter Solstice passes, for that means the days will slowly start getting longer again. Me?  I just take it all in stride and enjoy the uniqueness of each time of year. Yeah, so it gets dark at 4:30pm - who cares?  In a few months it'll still be light out at 10:00pm.

THIS Solstice will be a doozy, for there is a full Moon AND a total lunar eclipse!  How fascinating!  I admit, I'm a geek about stuff like this...I'm really excited to witness as much of it as I can, and pray the clear weather holds so we can watch!  I actually have a super late hockey game Monday night (an 11pm face-off, yikes), so by the time we are done the eclipse should be in progress.  And because it's the Solstice the moon will be super high in the sky.  I can't wait to see this!  And I hope I can stay awake.  I've already warned my co-workers I have a late game and will likely be in a fog the next day.

But it's the holidays and where I work now the last couple of weeks of December are both quiet and herky jerky.  Lots of people take the entire two weeks off, while others take just one. Either way, not much gets done.  As a consultant, I'm going to be on duty the entire time save for the Christmas and New Years holidays, but you know what?  I'm OK with that.  I had a ton of downtime earlier this year when I was out of work.  I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks of catching up and getting things organized for next year.

And...time to reflect and make goals for 2011.  This year has been a roller coaster, kind of like those seasonal rhythms I mentioned earlier.  But I hope my own personal roller coaster calms down and stabilizes. 

2010, love you but you were a big bitch too.  I'll have more on that in next week's post.