Monday, January 10, 2011

The Quiet Visitor: January



I am very thankful for our guest, January.  

The year builds up to December, who herself is a bright and blinking crescendo, and sometimes she's too loud, and a bit overdone--wearing out her welcome at times-- always wanting to be busy, and go, go go.   

I am glad that what follows December is the quiet cousin:  a streaky-white skied, frosty, slow month of January.


I actually enjoy that feeling of having nothing on the calendar.  January gives me nothing to do but a birthday for my oldest, my daughter with the blue, blue eyes of January.  We can savor it, unlike the birthday that comes in the whirlwind of December.


I like that there's no urgencies in the yard, except when snow falls and it's time to shovel or blow out the driveway.  Even that makes one feel energetic--to breathe in her crisp air and watch your breath rise in little clouds when it goes out.

I like that January even has the good sense to allow that, once the Christmas stuff is down and the tree is OUT...

she asks me to look around to see what needs to be painted in February, and what I can improve in March, but in the meantime she shows me...

... a warm and inviting quilt; it beckons me to the couch, and on the way, I can choose one of my novels picked up at a garage sale this summer for $1...and she quietly waits while I snuggle up and read, getting up only to change the laundry out or to put a roast in for supper. 

January is a soul-soothing visitor saying "Oh, let's just take it easy today and stay around the house."   In the evening, she suggests I take a nice, hot soaking bath instead of those quick showers taken the other 364 days a year.

I like that she's so quiet I can dream about our garden, thumb through catalogs, but nothing actually has to be done about it yet. 

Yet, some mornings the spread she has outside my window makes me quickly dress and run for the camera to capture the crystal white jewels she's laid over the earth...just for fun, just because it looks pretty.




I like that I can crack open that jar of jam, smear it on my toast, or chill a nice jar of applesauce for my bedtime snack, or maybe even spice up the afternoon with some salsa, and I can taste a little bit of last summer on my tongue, but don't have to worry about the work that went with it, only the enjoyment of the results of our work.






I don't wish January away.

Now, there aren't any guarantees about February or March, but January?




January's grays are REALLY gray, and her blues are REALLY blue, and I welcome and embrace her and enjoy her company...and maybe even see how many novels I can devour while she is still here with us.






I think she's quite pleasant company.....





I like January, do you?

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Good morning Joni. I always tell my kids that I love the month of January, it is a month to rest and take a breather. But I have to say I do try to get some extra cleaning done around the house done. It's funny at work they always ask me what I'm cleaning that day, and it inspires them to get something done at there house.

Kim Bois

Aspiemom said...

Great post. I'm glad that you enjoy the month so much! That last photo was especially beautiful.

Aspiemom said...

Great post. I'm glad that you enjoy the month so much! That last photo was especially beautiful.

Kelle at The Never Done Farm said...

Enjoyed your post, very much, especially the lovely pictures. Although I agree with 98% of what you said, I add in that I do dislike the bitter cold that January brings to Montana. Not so much for myself but for the animals. Even with shelters, well bedded stalls and plenty of fedd and water I know they are still uncomfortable and that bothers me.

Blessings for your week,
Kelle

Shirley said...

Love that last picture! January is a nice slow-paced month, but by the end, I am chomping at the bit ready to get back at it :)

Donna said...

I like it INSIDE! And I like it a lot more now that I am retired and don't have to go out in it and risk injury!

Kathie Truitt said...

Sorry, Joni. Beautiful words, gorgeous pictures, but I'd just as soon skip January (and her sister February, too) and go straight to March. And April? Now, April..THAT'S a good month.

Bonnie said...

As much as I dread the winter months with no sun and lots of cold and snow, I do enjoy the quiet time to relax and work on projects I don't have time for during the rest of the year.