JANUARY DOLDRUMS

Doldrums:

• low spirits
• a period of inactivity or a state of stagnation

After Christmas come the blahs or blue funk period. Winter here in the valley can be very dreary with air inversions giving us too many gray skies on frosty days when all one wants to do is hibernate in a pile of books. In spite of these days we try and motivate ourselves, bundle up, and hand in hand take our almost daily trail into the forest, over three bridges and along the creek. Conversations are usually limited but always we comment on the changes in the ice closing in the creek, gradually muting the happy sounds of the water. Even the ducks are huddling on the shores, their feet seemingly frozen in the snow, but then a splash and, one by one they silently slip into cramped pools being strangled with jagged ice floes. Our spirits lift as we see a band of blue sky and we hurry to catch the warmth and cheer, but unfortunately it encircles us from afar, yet we smile with the comfort in this glimpse of brightness.