I have a cold and Spring Fever. Not a good combination. It has me in a brain fog that does not bode well for writing or knitting. Everything I have needed to do this morning from making my bed and brushing my hair to folding laundry has had to be done mindfully and deliberately or it would need to be done again. Every room has a dwindling box of tissues and I have opened my bedroom window in order to feel a slight breeze and breathe the fresh air.
It is really too early for spring fever. Even though we in New Hampshire have had less snow than other parts of the country, there is still plenty of time for a couple more big snows. We have brown patches and dirty piles of ice but it is still too soon to hope for a quick mud season and an early spring. Being able to open windows and air out the apartment has been helpful in relieving some of the winter blues. I also had a plant blooming in my bedroom this morning. That encouraged some of the spring fever.
When I lived in Virginia we would have teaser days in January and February. These were days when it would warm up to 60 or 70 degrees and I could go for a walk in the Norfolk Botanical Gardens in shorts and a tee shirt. I would find a bench in the direct sunlight and let the sun bathe my body while I watched the ducks and geese prepare for the hatchlings that would soon be arriving. However, within a week of that teaser day there would be a bout of cold and icy weather that would be a reminder that it was too early to hope.
It almost seems the same way here in New England this year. We are getting teaser days where the breeze carries the scent of fresh grass or deep brown dirt that has been overturned for a garden. The breeze feels like a “come on” when the calendar says there is still a month until the Vernal Equinox and another two months until the scent of lilacs fills the New Hampshire air. The thought of May and June are what get me through the winters here. New England gardeners must have deep green thumbs. Their gardens come alive in May and June and the view of country gardens against stone walls can be breath taking. Spring – hurry!!!
Having been under the weather for most of the winter has not helped my mood either. I feel as if there is a large piece missing in my self care plan and that is walking. These cold winds do not bode well for me when I have an upper respiratory infection so I just stick to yoga and hope for warmer days and gentle breezes.
I am doing fairly well on my New Year plan for health and wellness. As long as I feel fairly well I am able to do my yoga and I have taken some short walks in the past couple of weeks. I am still avoiding meat. I woke up this morning to a craving for grapefruit and was glad that I had bought a couple of sweet red ones this past Friday. Chocolate cravings hit hard on some days but there are other days when I will realize that I haven’t had chocolate at all and haven’t looked for it. If I don’t have it in the house I will very rarely go out especially to get chocolate. I find it funny, though, that I can check out a full cart of healthy fruits and veggies and still need to buy three Lindor truffles at the checkout line. I seek out the line that has the truffles even when I know I could go through a line that does not have the candy. However, I feel that having had the ability to move past the cookie and chips aisles and the ice cream freezers, the three little Lindor truffles are my reward for a job well done.
Sunday afternoon, however, is when all resistance flies out the window. It is my time for fun and decadence in the form of my knitting group and a large chocolate triple trio or javanilla shake at the bookstore where we meet for two hours. This is where I get my laughter and chocolate therapy once a week. This weekly gathering of women has convinced me that when my ancestors went to stay in the menstrual hut with other women that they did so gladly and with a skip in their step. The men must have wondered why there was so much laughter coming from the place to which they had been banished. I wonder if some woman overstayed their time or if they even lied about how often they were having their period. The joy of being with other women sharing stories of joy and pain can be a healing force that I doubt men can experience in their sports bars and locker rooms. We are very blessed that we have these opportunities and the depth to be able to share our lives in such a way while creating beautiful knitted items. It is a feast of chocolate, laughter and wool on a cold afternoon that helps keep the winter blues at bay.
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