The clocks set back last weekend. We managed fine. Saturday there was soccer and dance and then a visit from an old friend and mentor of mine who was in town. We spent lots of time outside and at parks. Saturday night we family Mario Kart night, which we hadn’t had in a while. I’m still phenomenally bad at Mario Kart; the four year old and I trade for last place throughout the game.
The baby was up early on Sunday. But she’s always up early. And honestly, the difference between 5:00am and 6:00am is kind of negligible on a Sunday morning. At the other end of the day, I had planned a Zoom book club meeting for my mom’s group at 8:30p, scheduled weeks ago, not realizing that it was Daylights savings and that we might all be exhausted by then. Six of us managed to joined the call and while we were all spent and tired by 9:45p, it was a nice chat and catch up.
I read this essay in the Washington Post that pointed out that we are now entering into the 90 darkest days of the year. Saturday, November 7th is 45 days from the Winter Solstice. And on the flip side, February 4th is 45 days after. To think of it another way, this is the darkest quarter of the year. Metaphorically speaking, I hope.
The other day, the four year old asked if we could go back to the “Kangaroo Pool”.
“No,” I said. “That pool is only open during the summer.”
“Oh,” he said, disappointed. He thought for a moment then asked, “When will it be water Wednesday?” Water Wednesday is waterplay day at school.
“Water Wednesday is only during the summer,” I said.
“What is it now?”
“Right now it’s fall. Almost winter. It’s too cold to be out in the water.”
“Why is all the fun things during the summer?”
“Well,” I said, “We can do fun things in the winter too….”
I started making a list of fun things in the winter for us to do. And at dinner the whole family made suggestions:
– build snowmen
-drink hot cocoa
-make snow angels
-drink tea
-Christmas
-ice skating
Even though the nine year old will be fully vaccinated by Christmas, I think this will still feel like a pandemic winter in a lot of ways. Definitely not as restrictive as last year, but still no air travel or family visits or indoor dining as a family. I did notice that the nine year old’s favorite restaurant is having live Irish music again, and I was thinking that might be a nice celebratory event for two weeks after her second shot, just her, the Husband and me.
Still, I need to take time to think through and plan some things to enjoy and savor in these next ninety days. I do love a good lazy hunkering, but I know there are also many ways to embrace this darkest quarter beyond the house. Plus there is my 1000 hour outside aspirations. Even with the specter Global warming looming, I don’t want to take the current mild weather for granted.
The holidays are imminent, and will be here before we know it, and then it will be the new year and that fresh page. The to-do lists are long and sometimes overwhelming. I want to make sure time is spent “being”, not just “doing”.