The January Blues, Fresh Starts, and Everyday Miracles
A playful musing on January—that subtly shifts gears from reflecting on how deeply our thoughts shape our realities—into an invitation to drink in the miracles breaking through all around us
Hi beautiful being,
If you could redesign the calendar from scratch, which month would you choose to begin the year? I ask that because, lately I’ve been wondering if January was really the best choice. I mean, when it comes to being cold, dark, and bleak—in the Northern hemisphere at least—it doesn’t get much worse than the month named after the Roman god Janus. Personally, I think I’d vote for May or June to kick things off. There’s a lot more “pep” in their days—with their length, warmth, and sunny possibilities.
On that note, can I pause and point something out? The beginning of the year, is something we—aka humanity—completely made up. While each twelve months do mark one factual revolution of the earth around the sun; we could have picked any point along our planet’s orbit to be New Years Day. It just so happens we chose January 1st. Isn’t that interesting?
(Mount Etna last Saturday)
Along those lines, consider how 40-hours as the measure of a “work week”, what we call borders between nations and states (aka, imaginary lines we draw on the ground), systems of government, laws, the value of money, and a host of other things we take for granted—are all essentially just stories in our heads, which we’ve collectively agreed to. Are you picking up what I’m putting down, friend? When it comes to our lives, this makes me wonder:
How often are you and I hindered, weighed down, thwarted, and diminished by stories, assumptions, limiting beliefs, and patterns of behavior—which in the end—are really nothing more than thought bubbles in our heads?
With that in mind, I bring up the first month of the year because—while we make this time out to be all about beginning, launching, and achieving—the “January blues” is a very real thing. Even though the energy of this dark, cold, and bleak month intuitively leads us to rest, cuddle, and relax; humans have largely decided January is the time to push, achieve, and expand. In many ways, the story we’ve imposed placed upon reality, doesn’t fit. Do you know what I mean?
That said, I wonder if this season just might be inviting us to a fresh start—only in a different way than we often think about it. The twenty-plus year-old BMW my partner and I bought for our time in Sicily has a manual transmission. As we drive and circumstances change, we shift the gears up or down to meet the situation. What I’m driving at (pun intended) is that downshifting and upshifting are both changes; and either is a new start of sorts. In other words:
January invites us to begin again by downshifting. It is the perfect time to resolve to slow down, savor, pay attention, and notice the everyday miracles that are all around—and within us.
Now, I totally get how you might be thinking: Thanks for posting this at the END of January, Lang. It would have been way more helpful at the beginning of the month! I hear you, that very thought occurred to me! :) Yet, I wrote this piece as soon as the inspiration came to me, and something tells me that whenever you read it, it will be relevant to you. I believe that, because the more we slow down and pay attention—whatever day of the year it is—the more our eyes are opened to the everyday miracles going on around us all the time. Things like:
This breath – which nourishes trillions of cells throughout your body on the inhale, while helping them release their waste on the exhale.
A genuine hug
The sunrise
The way the sound, texture, and feel of ocean waves profoundly touches something within us
The sunset
Birds chirping in the morning
The feel of a perfectly hot shower on a cold day
(From Inspiring Quotes)
Snowcapped mountains
A smile, and the way it brightens both the giver and the receiver from the inside out
Every “I love you”
The way going to sleep offers us the opportunity to let go and release—putting more than ourselves “to bed”
How waking up each morning invites us to fresh beginnings
While I could go on, friend, I’m far more interested in hearing what you would add to the list, and what witnessing these everyday miracles does to you? Also, what did my musings stir up in you? What struck a chord? I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments!
Hugs & Love,
Lang (aka “Dr. Love”)
P.S. Did you know that clicking the “like” button 🤍 helps other people find this post—while bringing a smile to my face? Also, if you think this could aid anyone, please consider sharing and/or “restacking” it. And above all, remember: You are amazing, and I hope you have a beautiful day!