The Doldrums of January

I have often found January to be the most difficult month of the year.  Yes, there is the new beginning it brings, but unless you happen to be born in January, it can seem to be the longest month of the year.  The days (daylight) are shorter, and it is all too often cold outside…at least where I live, so going outside to “play” isn’t a lot of fun.  Unless of course it snows, then I am out there for sure.

So a few years ago I decided to do something about the doldrums of January and figure out a way to make the month count.  Perhaps you don’t suffer from my lack of contentedness with January, or maybe you figured out a long time ago how to sail through this lethargic month, but in case you do and haven’t here are a few suggestions for making the most of the dreaded (at least I used to) month.

With the above stated “new beginnings” that seem to arrive with January it is a good time to so some most likely overdue spring/fall cleaning.  Yeah, I know, wrong time of the year, but at least for me it is a much better time.  In the spring I want to be outside with all the beautiful flowers blooming and the sun warming my face.  In the fall I also want to be outside because the hot weather has subsided and there is a crisp freshness to the air.  So, all those closets that have sat getting in disorder, collecting dust and clutter, are now being cleaned.  And it feels good.

I have several subscriptions to food magazines and I often use their recipes each month.  The problem is the magazines take up an awful lot of space and by the end of the year my cabinet is full.  In January I go through and pick out all the things we enjoyed eating, go on the web and make copies of the recipes to put in my cookbook/notebook (I have 4 large ones).  Then I give the magazines to a friend to use.  I have good intentions (every year) of doing this throughout the year and not waiting, but then what would I do in January.  Besides, it can be fun going through and remembering the first time my family tried a new dish, and sharing my magazines is really cool.

Because it has finally really gotten cold, I find myself looking in my clothes closet and realizing too many things I never wore last winter.  So it is a great time to get them out, decide if they are things I really want to keep, or find a great place (like Miracle Hill Ministries http://www.miraclehill.org/) to donate them.  Sometimes I can’t believe the amount of clothes I have!

I have a much longer list of things that get neglected over the year and January gives me a little extra time to get them done.  Before I know it, January has flown by and spring is just around the corner, calling my attention to things outside my home.

So now I am grateful for January.  I do love the trees, bare of leaves, silhouetted against the dusk sky.  I love knowing that it could snow any day now.  And I really appreciate the chance to accomplish some very important things that need doing in the doldrums pleasantness of January.