Chasing Away The January Blues (Garden Pictures)
We’re nearly through January now, and for that I could not be happier. No, it has not been a good month. It has not been a good start to the year. So during these rather dark days, I am looking for just a small amount of inspiration. The holidays always push me through the fall months and the beginning of winter, but once the end of January nears - going into February - everything seems to become rather lackluster and withering (spirit, mind and landscape). Perhaps more so for me this year, personally, but even during the best of times I find that January is always disappointingly dull and bleak.
Not one to undermine the need for a winter rest - both for myself and for the garden - and realizing how important the hibernation is to both vitality and renewal, I still find that come this time of the year, energy fades and a bit of depression always comes to call. Keeping busy is the key to warding off such worry. But still it creeps, as it does, and sometimes it is just too easy to roll over and submit - to almost luxuriate in the downtime that is January - all the while figuring, why not?
And while a bit of that luxury may indeed help to replenish us, too much can also send us spiralling downward. I for one love to just sit inside, either in bed or near a fire, and read through my garden books and catalogs - looking and longing for hours on end. That is a part of the winter season for me. Dreaming and planning the garden to come is always a delight and always an encouraging way to chase away the winter blues, or to at least keep them at bay. Making plans, even for those with no January-energy problems, is still a very useful tool to use in order to achieve future goals. If we cannot do something at the current moment, for whatever reason, hopefully we will be able to see that dream or idea come true sometime in the very near future.
At times, just a bit of encouragment is needed; a dose of healthy inspiration. I very much rely on such motivation, in any form, when feeling down or lethargic, as is the case with the ‘bleak-January’ syndrome that I have been mentioning. Even if you are fully on your game, a boost of sorts can always help. And that inspiration can come from nearly anywhere: talking to friends, reading a book, taking a walk. For me, when the true January-blues hit, and I find myself longing for spring, there is nothing better than looking through old photographs of summertime days in the garden. That lifts me up and keeps me going. I always find a renewed sense of energy and encouraging inspiration from seeing what I have created in the past, and to contemplate that which may need to be done in the future. A few pretty pictures on a cold and grey winter’s day is sometimes just the jolt needed. Hope you all enjoy!
Garden Pictures for Mid-Winter Inspiration:
Until next time…
