Carpe Noctem: Seize the Night

Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa - all are holidays celebrated with lights. There are many who have written about the lovely symbolism of points of light in the dark. But on this longest night of the year, I'm reflecting on the blessings of darkness.

We speak of hibernating mammals as though they were species separate and apart from humans, but they are merely on the far end of a spectrum on which all living beings stand. On long winter nights, all living beings are meant to gather in towards home, to eat rich root vegetables and to sleep more to replenish their essence. The dark of winter is not something to be banished: it's a phase of life's cycle that renews us for the coming of the light.

At times we may find ourselves - in any season - in a winter of the soul. It's natural that at such times we might wish for light. The Buddhists have a different approach, which I've found so useful in adversity: they remind themselves in dark moments that everything at this time is exactly as it should be. When we recognize darkness as appropriate, even desirable, we open ourselves to its hidden wisdom. We evolve, and emerge into the light more deeply connected to the sources of our strength.

I know that each time I have traversed a dark tunnel, I have greatly increased my capacity to feel joy. How has the darkness blessed you?

copyright 2009

Half-time

"In the game of life, there is nothing less important than the score at half-time."

I've not been able to find a source for this quote, but how wise it is. I no longer believe in coincidences and therefore, when this quote came into my awareness this past week, I greeted it like an old friend.

It's been a busy fall, with lots of travel and other interesting and wonderful interruptions to routine. This weekend, when I checked my fall to-do list, I found that I'm not quite as far along as I'd planned to be. I can think of times in my life when this would have upset me badly. This week, as an antidote to this realization, I balanced my to-do list with a "done" list: a celebration of what I have accomplished recently, whether or not it was on the original plan. This new list included some interesting detours from my planned route: an extra lunch with a dear friend, initiation of a new exercise strategy, discovery of a fascinating new website that makes statistics - including many health statistics - friendly (www.gapminder.com), etc.

I don't want to lose sight of my original objectives, and will therefore rework my to-do list tomorrow morning so as to ensure progress on them in the near future. But I'll look carefully at the timeframe I allow for that progress to take place: short enough to make a difference, but just long enough to allow for a few more detours. After all, it's only half-time...and I'm still in the game.

copyright 2009