By Peggy Sue McRae
Journal contributor
As a general rule, I try not to drive at night. That can be a challenge when it gets dark at 4 p.m.in the afternoon. On overcast days at this latitude and climate, it can seem like darkness has fallen relentlessly upon us. A saving grace is that Friday Harbor does a pretty good job of adding holiday sparkle and twinkle to our long, dark nights. There is good reason to celebrate this time of year. Thanks to the reliability of the natural world on Sunday, Dec.21 at 7:03 a.m., our days will start to get longer. Light will return.
Thousands of years before the first Christmas, people celebrated the winter solstice. No one knows exactly why it was created, but the massive stone circle we call Stonehenge acts as a calendar laid out with precision to mark both the summer and winter solstices. Neolithic people of Britain went so far as to haul massive stones (as much as 25-30 tons), some from an ancient quarry in Wales, all the way to Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. Recent analysis has also discovered that the central altar stone of Stonehenge was brought from the far reaches of northern Scotland. Our miraculous place in the universe remains as awe-inspiring now as it was then.
Notwithstanding our miraculous existence in the cosmos, seasonal darkness can get you down. There are plenty of real reasons to be unhappy. Sorrow visits everyone. However, if the sadness does not lift, if you find you are sleeping too much, overeating, if you feel hopeless, listless, peevish or unable to concentrate, you may have SAD, seasonal affective disorder. SAD, a seasonal affliction, is a type of depression.
The Mayo Clinic website offers this advice: “Don’t brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of ‘winter blues’ or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own. Take steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year.”Also, “Treatment may include light therapy, psychotherapy, or medications.” For the most part, you already know what to do. When drifting toward ennui, you can resist. Eat your fruits and vegetables, go for a walk outside and call a friend. Do see a health care provider, though, if your sleep and appetite are affected or you find yourself sliding into the dangerous territory of alcoholism or thoughts of suicide. It does not have to be that way. There are good people who can help.
I hope you will find joy in celebrating the season. This winter solstice, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on our incredible luck at finding ourselves on a planet that is tipped on its axis just right to give us wild roses in the spring, apples in the fall, dragonflies in summer and swans in the winter.
Resources
24-hour Crisis Line: 800-584-3578.
AA on San Juan Island: Local AA Hot-Line 360-317-3832.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988.
