The end of the year, particularly the Christmas season, can be difficult for many people, for many reasons.
It’s a time of reflection and I tend to get a bit pensive as the year creeps closer to completion. Bittersweet thoughts rattle around my brain, I beat myself up for things not accomplished, I get sad about people loved and lost, and I often slip into a funk at not being farther along on seasonal things from making Christmas cards (spoiler alert, I didn’t get them made again this year), Christmas baking, or having gifts out the door…before realizing that there really isn’t a need for reams of baked goods and that there really aren’t many gifts to send anymore because of that ‘people loved and lost’ bit earlier, and that adds to the seasonal sadness that tends to sneak in. It can be a bit of a spiral some years and I can be a talented self-flagellator; memories draw closer to the surface. The first year after losing Mom, and then the first year after losing Dad, those were debilitating. I’m feeling that there is a little bit of that crawling into the shadowy parts of my mind, and dark and ‘monsoony’ days like today make it easier to slip down those darker rabbit holes.
At the same time, I also look back over this year and the amazing things that transpired and realize that it’s a good time to snuggle in under a blanket, next to a warm fire, and dream about next year and what new adventures are ahead.
Make time to dream, and never stop. Life is always a work in progress.
(I have a few of these little drawing mannequins and they are starting to give me some fun photo ops, too many craft supplies also helps 😊)
