Dear friends,
It seems that the third Monday in January has gained the unhappy title of Blue Monday.
It's easy to understand why.
Sometimes people feel that Mondays can be problematical anyway,
Especially if the Monday follows a hectic weekend.
In the Northern Hemisphere in January we are still in the coldest time of the year.
The excitement of Christmas is over.
The lights and the decorations are down.
We are likely to feel the effects of overindulgence.
Our New Year resolutions may be slipping.
The summer holidays seem like a century away.
Finances might be stretched and we may have encountered a hard dose of reality on site of the credit card bills.
It's easy to spend money when you don't have to take the notes out of your wallet.
For all these reasons the third Monday in January has been calculated to be the most depressing day of the year.
So if you happen to be feeling the blues around this time it will help if you understand some of the reasons why.
And of course now you will realise that you are not alone.
But don't let Blue Monday get you down.
On a positive note we can take comfort from the fact that in the Northern Hemisphere the days are getting longer.
You can see that.
There can even be a touch of spring in the air depending on where you are living.
You might find nature beginning to show signs of movement and you know anyway that the best is yet to be.
It can help if we recall the origin of the name January.
It comes from the ancient Roman god Janus.
Janus represents beginnings but not only beginnings.
Janus also represents transitions and endings.
Janus represents doorways and passageways.
You may have come across the expression two-faced Janus because Janus has been depicted as looking to the future and to the past.
Janus reminds us that January is a month of transitions and a time to take stock.
The sometimes dreary days of January offer us an opportunity to regroup our forces,
Reassess our priorities,
Redirect our course as we prepare for the return of spring.
For my part I love to make my resolutions in time for the winter solstice since from that point onwards we are headed from darkness into light.
I see the solstice as a natural time for new beginnings.
But admittedly it is harder to be motivated to get into high gear when the days are short and the mornings cold.
And for those whose resolutions centre around diet and fitness there is the great disadvantage of trying to begin a new life of moderation when still surrounded by all the goodies with which we stock our larders in preparation for Christmas.
So the January blues can be a natural response.
Just don't let the January blues get you down.
Remember the best is yet to be.
Maybe this is a time to watch out for neighbours,
Friends and colleagues for whom this time of year might represent a particular challenge.
People who have been bereaved.
People who find themselves living alone where before they lived in a family setting.
People living far away from home.
This is a time of year when we can specially look out for one another and ask sincerely Are you OK?
Remembering the four letters Are you OK?
If at this time of year you feel like taking it easy as nature remains at rest,
Copy nature and take it easy.
It is seldom enough we stop and take it easy in our increasingly hectic world.
For that ahead of us is the spring when earth and nature in this hemisphere come to life again.
Let's end this reflection with a brief meditation for the season.
So let's close our eyes,
Come into the present,
Taking a deep breath for a change and breathing out completely.
Let's become aware of the gift of life which we enjoy in this season.
Let's give thanks for what has been in the last number of months.
Despite any complaint against it,
The Christmas season is one for taking more care of one another.
We are thankful for any love or affection we have been shown these last few months.
And we are thankful for the opportunity which we have been given to show love and concern for others.
If we have overindulged,
We give thanks for the good fortune that allowed us to do so,
Even though we might resolve not to be so indulgent next time.
We give thanks for family and friends.
With gratitude we call to mind lost friends and family.
We have to give thanks for having had them in our lives.
We think of people who have neither friends nor family.
And if we are in that situation ourselves,
We realise that other people are similarly affected.
Our loss allows us to walk in their shoes.
We are all in this life together and so we help one another along the path.
We give thanks for this new year,
This new day,
And we resolve to bring this feeling of gratitude into our daily life.
We hope and pray for peace and for peace workers.
We pray that all of us will work together as one human family,
Fairly sharing the fruits of this fragile planet and treating the planet with care.
May all of us be happy.
May all of us be safe.
May all of us be free from all forms of suffering.
May all of us live our lives with ease and peace.
May it be so.
Namaste.
