My November Guest
Robert Frost - 1874-1963
My sorrow, when she’s here with me,
Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree;
She walks the sodden pasture lane.
Her pleasure will not let me stay.
She talks and I am fain to list:
She’s glad the birds are gone away,
She’s glad her simple worsted grey
Is silver now with clinging mist.
The desolate, deserted trees,
The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so truly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
And vexes me for reason why.
Not yesterday I learned to know
The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
And they are better for her praise.
The quiet before the storm creeps up slowly and we find ourselves beginning to sink towards wintry months. Of ll the times to make “plans”, this time of year would be it.
It is important to get out once a week, for whatever reason, or for no reason at all, other than just getting out. If we withdraw more (how could we with covid restrictions?) we are heading for a low level sense of Seasonal Affective Disorder, at worst, but a sense of being lost, procrastinating, loneliness, a requited sense of just being so bloody bored we could weep (and maybe will).
Get yourself a day planner (no matter how big...and mine become my art journal for the beginning of the next year). Find a ‘once a week’ thing you can do with others. Yes, this is not alone time. This should be interactive time. I do not drink but we go to the meat draws, once a week, during winter. I, also, go to the lapidary shop and work on stone slabbing and polishing. Write in empowerment phrases. Write about a book you are reading, art journal, make it a mindful practice.
In your Day Planner write down times in Nature. In fact, once a day try to take a ten minute “outside” walk. Eco-therapy is known to be stimulating and healthy and might just get us out of our jammies for a time each day. Gt yourself, make yourself, borrow yourself, some warm and cozy “outside” clothing. Fuzzy socks, scarves, head-coverings, big fluffy warm coats, fancy gloves, warm well-soled boots. Whatever it takes to get you outside and make it an adventure. Ten minutes, that is all you need to keep the blahs away. Journal what you saw, felt, sensed, that made it worth being out.
Have a bath. We have become a quick-shower people. Do you have a signature scent? If not, find one and dump some of the essence into a bath and have a bath once in a while, with candles. This is something that my mind thinks it does not have time for (ever the busy busy). I have to take a book in with me. Right now, I am reading Michelle Obama’s “Becoming”. It is beautifully written with no Ego involved, as you would expect of her. Some journal. Some take music in with them. Some just luxuriate in the warm water and even bubbles. It is a great time to meditate.
Take time to be generous. Once a week, make a concerted effort to do something nice for someone else. Be the difference that makes the difference. We watch a lot of Steve Harvey right now. I find him an amazing man once you know his story. He says we need to dream big to have big come to us. He is spiritual, not religious, and I even enjoy the smattering of quotes he quotes and do not find them offensive when he puts his spin on them. He lives a life of being generous, incredibly so. He says there is enough money in the world that we ought not to have The Poor, the hungry, the homeless, etc. No matter what we have, it is enough and yet we deserve more and can get ore by dreaming big. Being generous is honorable and noble and any time we empower, inspire, share with someone in need. Those with less than we have are an opportunity for us to show gratitude without words.
When I went to a Native Head Start conference in Rapid city, years ago, an elder spoke to us at the opening. He said something that hit me like a lightning bolt: Remember we are answer to the prayers of our ancient grandmothers. Remember, always, every danged day, that we are the miracle someone has been waiting for. We can get through monumental things.
November is dreary for some. Winter is foreboding. Wrap up loose ends so that is not weighing you down as well. Let’s start shoveling out left-over negative emotions and angst before the first snowfall feels like a door has slammed on us.
©Carol Desjarlais 11.1.21
**the painting in my art journal is one done way back and I do not want to transform it. It feels done, but it is the first page in my transformation art journal for this month.
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