Yesterday, we had a high of 55 and it felt like it. Today, we have a high of 31 with a real feel of 10-14 degrees. So, if you are wondering what I will be doing today, a mug of hot chocolate and some reading have my attention.
It is hard when the weather fluctuates and the post-Christmas slump turns into the anticipation of Spring; even for those who LOVE winter like myself. Add to that the day to day of supporting someone living with dementia or navigating the changes to your life because your dementia is progressing. It is challenging to say the least.
This is the time when the immense hardships, sorrow, and loss we are experiencing seem to take over the little moments of goodness and beauty. We can forget the person who pours out graciously to help us, or the glimmer of the winter sun through a leaded glass window. We can even forget what we are truly capable of doing and fall into the spiral of the “I can’t” or “why me?” of it all.
So for the next two weeks, see if you can find a moment to see something spectacular in your life. A color in a catalog that makes you smile, the taste of the mashed potatoes, the chirp of a cardinal outside our window. See what you can find and while it won’t make the world flip overnight, you can find that these hot chocolate moments can take place each hour the day. You can see that there is something special to life, even when the weight of it all feels heavier because of the harshness of winter.
So, make yourself a mug of hot chocolate, throw in a peppermint stick, (because peppermint has no season) sit in your favorite chair and allow yourself to feel rejuvenated by the rest this season calls out of us.
