Winter's Apex: The Longest Night

A time for reflection

This time of year always reminds me of the year I spent in Scotland. I arrived on December 13th, 1996, after spending 18 months in rainy Oregon. I had become close with my friend Goldie, who had, with her boyfriend Jason, decided to spend 6 months in Scotland with Jason's roommate, who was doing a semester at Caledonian University. They'd done it right - gotten work visas, made connections, gotten work, etc. Back then, if you can remember, there wasn't a world wide web just yet, but there was email, and Goldie and I stayed in touch when they left in September of 1996 through this first generation of global technology. Calling was expensive, writing was too slow, so it was a new way to communicate, and very gen-1 - black screens with white War Games font and all.

From September to December, I'd found someone to sublet my room, sold my car, my bike, and most of my stuff, and parked my cats at my parents house, ready to embark with a one-way standby airline ticket to somewhere in Europe. I landed in Luxembourg, took the bus to the train station, which took me to Brussels, where I caught the ferry to England, took another train to London, slept, and then embarked on the train to Glasgow. I arrived on December 13th to a dark, cold, rainy Scotland.

My first thought was, what have I done?? I didn't speak "the language" (Scottish English is VERY hard to understand), I didn't have a job, and by the time I arrived, I'd spend most of my money on what was supposed to be the "cheap way" there.

But one thing I appreciate about myself is my ability to reflect and rebound.

So I reflected. I slept in, I ate sparingly, I practiced yoga and meditation every day, I walked throughout the big city getting to know it, I wrote letters back home, I communed with my spirit guides, and I read the Celestine Prophesy, 10th Insight and The Only Planet of Choice.  I stayed in their flat and worked a little here and there to keep money in my pocket, and I began to rebound.  By the time they left 6 weeks later, I was ready to be on my own, take over their flat and their job, and create a life there for the next 11 months.

So this time of year, while it's blended with the chaos of the holidays, an imbalance of spending and socializing, its darkness reminds me that it's ok to do all of those things - sleep in, eat less (yes I know, that sounds counter intuitive right now), practice mindfulness, write, and read. But mostly, REFLECT.

I also use this time of year to CREATE and ENVISION what I want to manifest and do in the next year, so over the next few weeks you'll get some tips and resources from me on just that - vision boards, visualizations, and MindMovies. Stay tuned.

Wishing you and yours a very merry happy holiday week for whatever holiday you celebrate!