I was pondering why I think January seems to last “forever”. I’ve managed to read 5 books already in amongst planning workshops, walking the dog, have a room redecorated in my house, writing some, meeting up with friends, etc. So I’ve not been idle but I’ve fitted it all in in the last 25 days! And really we were still in Christmas holiday mode for the first couple. Oh and I’ve also watched 3 Netflix series and blogged some. So why does it seem like January will never end.
As I was googling I did find this piece in the New York Times which is worth reading – The Scientific Reason Why January Last Forever – Though without sounding too pedantic I’m sure if it is really scientific it should say “feels like it lasts forever”. “Lasts forever” is a bit of a fact. January really doesn’t last forever it just feels that way.
So why do I think so?
For us as a couple we spent time during our 10 days Christmas break planning things for 2024. Not resolutions, not even what we want to achieve, but holidays and seeing people. So, including husband’s work trips, we have 5 trips on the calendar. One each for the first 5 months of the year; a trip to see my son and his wife, a holiday for in May to a place I’ve been wanting to go to for a couple of years, 2 walking/climbing trips for husband and the 1st work trip for him of the year. I’m also wanting to slide in trips to see my mum and my daughter. It is all about looking forward not being in the moment.
Even things like looking forward to the days getting longer, the weather warmer, is all not being in the moment but waiting for a better day!
There’s also the “healing of the credit card”, the Dry January, the Veganuary, and all those other things people give up after Christmas, which come with a “waiting for January to end so one can get back to drinking/eating meat/spending/etc” Again all looking forward and not being in the moment.
Added to that not everything has restarted. I didn’t restart my writing groups until the middle of January. A church group I want to join doesn’t start till February. Even with doors open for me to run workshops they are all for later in the year.
January is a dormant month but we don’t do dormant. So much in society tells us to be planning for the future that we don’t relax into hibernation mode. We are pushing, hoping, waiting, for the next thing. Perhaps if we could hunker down and allow the season to unfurl around us maybe then it would not seem like it was taking so long.
I nearly wrote “to get a move on and get over itself”. I think too often we see January as a month to endue and not to enjoy. Perhaps we need to learn how to enjoy January – and we all know when you’re enjoying something time flies past!
Aspirational Adventures 