Winter darkness is on my mind a lot today as I notice a significant change in my level of energy. It seems all I want to do is come home from work, snuggle up on the couch and expend no more energy than what it takes to stare at some episodes of 30 Rock and chuckle along.
By the way, I started recently with Season 1. I may have mentioned this already, but I laugh out loud repeatedly in each episode. Steamy foreign films? Take a backseat to 30 Rock for now. Tina Fey is sheer genius, and the combination of her character and Alec Baldwin's - ahhhh, wonderfully talented writing.
I say this about watching 30 Rock and doing nothing, but keep in mind I have two boys. We actually baked chocolate chip cookies tonight. But in my parallel universe, I had zzzz's above my head- the big puffy drowsy kind.
Back to the darkness discussion - what can we learn? The sunset today was at 4:33 p.m. We have this trend for another 3 weeks until the equinox.
My friends and I celebrate the solstice, and I thought I knew a lot about the origins of holidays, winter traditions and so forth, especially in view of my religious background, but I wanted to do some more research on the whole deal. I'll share a little bit of what I learned.
First of all, in case you don't know this, the winter solstice marks the longest night and shortest day of the year. This year it is December 21st. (It's either the 20th or the 21st, depending on the year). So, in optimistic thinking, after that day, the days will begin to get longer- until June!
What I really like about the solstice is this- it has so many layers. There is the astronomical layer, the astrological layer, the mathematical layer , and the cultural layer, for starters.
We start with a natural phenomenon, amazing in itself, and layered in complex mathematics- the tilt of the earth, the revolution and rotation of the earth. Then we have what humans throughout all of history have done with this natural state of science, nature- call it what you will, incorporating our human traditions and celebrations.
One thing I'd like to research more relates to something I read today - that the mysterious Stonehenge is a perfect marker of both the summer and winter solstices. I don't remember ever reading that. National Geographic featured Stonehenge a couple of years ago. Scientists had found evidence of brutality in the fossil discoveries. They weren't sure if it was due to the hard work involved in creating it- as in, a lot of people died trying to move those big stones... or if there was something more cruel that went on related to the rituals that may have surrounded the structure itself. This is, of course, strictly my synopsis of the article based on a weak memory of something I read awhile ago, so it's worth revisiting.
There was also a book quoted on one website I visited, "4,000 Years of Christmas". It was written in 1948. One excerpt stated that the Mesopotamians were the first to recognize the solstice, with a 12 day celebration or festival of renewal with the purpose of helping the god Marduk "tame the monsters of chaos for another year." I love the traditions we establish to explain things we don't understand, or try to control the things that we can't control - or acknowledge our helplessness in facing something as untameable as chaos!
The other question this cold, sleepy weather is raising in my mind- Do we store fat for winter the way animals do? I swear not much has changed for me in the past few weeks, but I feel like I have put on ten pounds.
So, my eyes are nearly closing as I type. But I think this is a good topic for a future post. I did a little preliminary research and found some conflicting information. The common ground is that everyone agrees that humans gain weight in the winter... there's just some disagreement on how and why - so I'll present the evidence of what I found... maybe even tomorrow night.... if I can stay awake.
Peaceful and warm sleep to all - is there anything better than a down comforter? Well, maybe... but in the realm of warm, sleepiness ? Is anyone sick of my "steamy foreign films" references yet?
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