First Day of Winter 2021

Happy First Day of Winter friends!  

It's hard to believe that it's already the Winter Solstice.  Today is the shortest day of the year, but my heart is so full right now, nothing can snuff out the light.  So many people look at this as a day of gloom and doom.  And I have to admit, having it get dark so early can be depressing.  It's easy to get sucked into the gloom when things are so crazy and stressful with the holiday season.  In the past, I've looked at today as a day to get over, knowing that each day will have more sunlight once this day passes by.

Today, I felt a strange sense of calm wash over me.  Eliot and I made it through our big holiday deadlines this past weekend.  Sunday evening, we had a chance to go on an impromptu shopping trip.  We bought some Christmas presents for my family as well as a few things for ourselves.  We finally made it to Texas Roadhouse after I had to skip it on my birthday.  Yesterday, we had our 3rd "Fauci Ouchies" and received our boosters shots.  Then, today we took another quick trip to Portland, got a little more shopping done, had Chipotle for the first time in a while, and I've spent the afternoon watching Christmas movies while curled up on the couch in my Snuggie.

Things have been crazy the past few weeks, but we did it and are on the other side of it.  I'm looking forward to the holidays.  I can't wait to drive up to my parents' house for Christmas this weekend.  I can't wait to see the look on Nana's face when she gets her present from us.  I'm excited to see my parents again, even though I just saw them earlier this month.  I can't wait to spend time with my brother.  I'm also looking forward to our trip south to visit Eliot's family over New Years.

I'm enjoying all of the fruits of our labor the past few weeks.  The rave reviews have been rolling in as our customers get their packages.  Hopefully, more will continue to come in after recipients receive their Christmas gifts this weekend.

Are there more things I could have gotten done during the past few weeks?  Definitely.

Our house is a mess and I really need to do laundry.  The pile of dishes in our sink is almost overflowing and I still need to take the clean ones out of the washer.  Eliot and I haven't used our oven in at least a month and a half because it needs to be cleaned out and every time we turn it on, it smells like the house will burn down.  I actually bought Christmas cards for the first time since Eliot and I moved into our house (back in 2015), but I still need to take care of them and get them in the mail.  And I have a bunch of blog posts that I'm totally behind on and will be backdating when I post them.

But you know what, none of that matters.

For the first time in a long time, I'm totally at peace with what I've gotten accomplished, even if there are still things to do.  The never-ending to do list isn't daunting.  I'm so proud of how hard Eliot and I have worked the past few weeks and with what we have gotten done that none of that matters.  The dishes will get cleaned.  We won't have to run around naked with no clean clothes.  The Christmas cards might be late, but they'll get sent this year.  And the oven will get cleaned once we're back from our trips.

For now, I'm content watching Christmas movies and enjoying the season instead of letting it pass me by.  Winter Solstice might be the shortest day of the year, but that doesn't mean that the light has to dim.  The light is still there, whether it be in the form of dancing Christmas light displays, seeing a small snowman while dropping something off at the Town Hall, or enjoying the simple beauty of the fresh fallen snow.  

After all, life is what you make of it isn't it?  

This First Day of Winter, I feel more light than I probably ever have felt on the Winter Solstice.  My heart is full of love and happiness, and that's all the light I need.  °o°