There was a time, a few centuries ago, when many people in Europe believed they could make it through the winter like bears and ‘possums do by sleeping through those cold dark, seemingly endless days. It must have seemed logical since the rest of the world annually shut down of its own accord. Trees and other plants stopped growing and producing food. Surely, nature must be saying that it was time for all those who depended on that food to also rest.
Some people attempted total hibernation, giving up food and water entirely. Many of those died or suffered severe debilitation from malnutrition. Most simply cut down on activities, conceding to only the barest necessities of existence – warmth, minimal nourishment and little exercise. Such deprivations naturally resulted in more hours spent sleeping as the body struggled to function as best it could under the conditions. Oddly, the more affluent people who undertook the practice required the care of servants who were necessarily prevented from attempting the practice and thus survived the winter in better health than their masters.
I can understand the temptation to crawl into a cozy bed, close my eyes and ignore the snowdrifts, howling winds and bone-chilling temperatures until spring raises its sunny head and the birds return from their winter vacations. I’ve often had nightmares of nearly freezing to death, and I guess that my only unreasonable fear is not of heights, spiders, or monsters under the bed, but of not being able to get warm. I’m not especially afraid of the cold; I’ve spent many a winter’s afternoon indulging in snowball fights, wild rides downhill on a wooden sled, even winter picnics huddled on the sunny side of a hill. I’ve tolerated toes numb with the cold and cheeks so chilled and rosy they throbbed with blood attempting to keep my face from freezing. As long as I’m sure I’ll be able to warm up when I’m tired of the cold, I can handle it. It’s the fear that I could be stranded in a frigid place with no hope of ever being warm, safe and comfortable again that gets to me.
All that said, I still wish January were a lot shorter and that there were more distractions in the month to keep my mind off the whole thing. Unfortunately, January has a shortage of real holidays – only New Year’s Day and Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday count as official holidays, and they’re both over with by the middle of the month. We’re left with a bunch of observances to pick from for the next couple of weeks, some of mild interest, others intriguing in one way or another.
National Blood Donor Month, Mental Wellness Month, Poverty Awareness Month and Bath Safety Month are certainly worth our attention, but not quite what we need to stay engaged in constantly. Be Kind to Food Servers Month is a no-brainer – unless you’re into hibernation and don’t need to be served any food. That leaves us with, among other things, a reason to eat more apricots, apples, artichokes and asparagus which all lay claim to attention for the whole month. Seems odd to me that they all just happen to begin with the letter A. By now, we’ve already missed National Youth Day and Kiss a Ginger Day, both of which sound like fun but I didn’t find out about them soon enough. Then there’s something called Veganuary, which I’m guessing has something to do with the omission of all animal products from our lives. Sorry, I’m quite comfortable with other people doing their thing, but I’m not going there, not even for just a month.
There are two observances that I find compelling: Book Blitz Month and Brain Teaser Month. My favorite pastime is reading, and I have several favorite authors whose work I enjoy re-reading from time to time, So, I don’t even have to bother obtaining new books – I’m quite happy with my old heroes and fictitious friends. As for the brain teasers, when I’ve finished the book of crosswords and wracked my brain over Sudoku, I find it both enjoyable and challenging to create my own crosswords, trivia quizzes and word puzzles. I’ve been told that working with language prevents brain rot. Go for it.