Sunshine & lollipops

Today is another of those grey-sky cloudy winter days, but somewhere—blessedly—there is a hole in those clouds that I can't see from my North-West facing window, and it is letting through some beautiful winter-white sunshine. Which makes everything out there brighter, including my mood.

So THAT's what was missing...

Truthfully I suspect just about everyone suffers from at least a mild case of SADS (Seasonal Affective Disorder Syndrome) during the winter months. I mean, who WOULDN'T get at least a touch of the blues, enduring three or four (or more) months of the year with predominantly grey skies overhead? 

Sunshine just has a magical quality that brightens everything, and I for one am more acutely aware of its influence on me during the winter months. Oh, I enjoy a nice sunny day in the spring, summer and fall just as much as the next gal, but truth be told, I know that I fall into taking the sunny skies for granted when they just keep on coming one day after another. 

But through the winter, I bumble along through the days not even realizing I'm feeling just-that-side-of-bummed-out much of the time until HALLELUJAH: a sunny day comes along, and suddenly my spirits are magically lifted. 

It's like life, I suppose; sometimes, we don't even realize that we're just-that-side-of-bummed-out until a better feeling comes along. On the flipside, when everything does roll for a while like sunshine and lollipops all the time, we start to take the good stuff for granted...just like we do with months of sunny days in a row throughout the summer. 

And when we do have dark days—those difficult times in our lives—it does (or at least can) make us appreciate the good times all that much more, just like we do on those days in the winter when the sun peeks out and reminds us of its presence once again.

Remember that whether we can see it and feel it or not, the sun is always there behind the clouds, shining brightly and sending us its warmth, nurturing us in unseen ways. 

That's the key to weathering the dark days of our lives: remembering that sunny days will come again.

They always do. 

And when the dark days last for what feels like an interminably long time, we have to find ways to feel that sunshine in whatever ways we can, in whatever ways work best for us. It's unique for everyone.

With the winter weather, some folks fly south for the winter, while others hit the slopes hoping to catch a sunny day perhaps, but nevertheless finding a way to embrace and enjoy the wintery weather. 

Still others invest in those light-therapy lamps, sitting in front of them for a certain period of time every morning to get at least some form of substutute for their daily dose of sunshine (although as Andrew Huberman reminds us, the real thing really is the best thing, whenever possible).

Maybe to save on the extra expense of a light-therapy lamp, I'll just put on my sunglasses and lay down underneath my table lamps, soaking up the LED goodness. 

Do household bulbs emit UV rays? 

Ah well, not to worry; even if they do, that's just a good excuse to head to the pharmacy to restock my supply of Hawaiian Tropic. Nothing like slathering yourself with the scent of coconuts to conjure up images of sandy beaches and crashing surf under a clear blue sky.

"Heading south, dear?" the nice sales lady will ask. 

"Nope," I'll reply, "just heading happy". 😎☀️