It’s almost the end of January, but in my neighborhood a lot of people still have their holiday decorations up. I’ve seen homes with wreathes on their doors and swags still wrapped around front porch railings. There are lights hanging from roofs and paper snowflakes taped to windows. At my own home, I’ve refused to take down the lights wrapped around my front porch pillar and somehow keep forgetting to remove my snowman doormat.
I don’t think all of my neighbors are lazy and unable to take care of the simple task of removing their holiday decorations.
I think the holidays went by too fast and we all need a little more of the magic that those decorations remind us of. I think we all want to keep a little bit of sparkle and festivity in our lives and these decorations help.
I know I love driving, at night, past all the homes lit up with their holiday lights. It makes me happy and joyful. It inspires hope within me.
I think we all are drawn to the light. We need light. Whether it’s the light of Christmas decorations or the light of safety and security projected by a lighthouse beacon. The light allows us to breathe, to relax, and to know we’re safe. We’re okay, and there’s hope around the corner.
In Seattle, where winter is dark and we’re in our Winter Solstice, we’re gaining more light each day but it’s not yet enough to inspire us to remove our decorations.
So, in the darkness of winter, how do we create more light in our lives?
When I was little my dad kept the Ten Rule of Success by Aristotle Onassis in his office. The one that always stood out for me was: “Keep a tan even if you have to use a lamp. To most people a tan in winter means only that you have been where the sun is, and in that respect, sun is money.”
This quote makes me smile and laugh a little today. Yes, the sun makes me happy but in absence of sun or the ability to jet off to Palm Springs at a moment’s notice, how do I bring the light and warmth of the sun into my life today? Truly it comes from within and we have to find ways in our lives to create that warmth and light. Whether it’s through a yoga or exercise practice or listening to a baby giggle. These things bring warmth to our insides and when we take the time to fill ourselves up, to nurture ourselves first, it radiates out.
How can you take fifteen minutes today to fill yourself up and nurture yourself fully? One of my favorites is simple (although a bit of an environmentalists nightmare) and it makes me feel warm and nurtured afterwards. I fill up the bath with an inch of hot water and salts or baking soda and leave the shower running. Sitting in the hot water while more hot water falls over me is decadent and so healing.
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” – Elizabeth Kübler-Ross
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