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As I peek through the blinds this first morning in December and see that everything is white, the air and the ground alike, I console myself with the thought that in exactly three weeks the days will start getting longer again. It’s not snow-white here in the North Bay, not Minnesota-white or Connecticut-white (as I imagine those places to be, never having visited either — although I have been to Buffalo, and North Dakota). But it’s white enough for California, for sure.
When I get around to looking at the computer, my DSL home page informs me that the predicted low temperature today in Santa Rosa is 33ºF, and the current temperature is 30ºF. Well, meteorology isn’t an exact science. It shares that quality with my cooking. I think when the days start getting longer my poor attempts in the kitchen will improve along with the temperature. Unfortunately, my bookkeeping seems to be taking a turn toward the wooly side these days, too, and I don’t know if or when that trend will reverse itself.
It’s only the first day of this long, dreary month (punctuated, of course, with small mercies and graces such as birthdays and other observances). I know that by the end of December people will be elbowing each other in packed store aisles, but why does it already seem so crowded on the few streets I have to maneuver to get where I need to be (and back again, as quickly as possible)? And why do I get stuck behind the slowest drivers? And why can’t I just relax and let it go, instead of sneering and bristling and resenting the inconvenience? It’s not as if any of it is directed at me personally.
That’s when I have to remind myself that December, although it is the longest month and has the longest nights of the whole year, will pass no matter how I react to it. By the end of it, the sun will be shining, if not brighter then at least a little longer each day. And whatever resentments I feel toward my fellow humans who happen to be sharing space with me on the roads and in the stores will at some point evaporate and leave behind the holiday cheer which is still dormant at this early point in the season. |
