The Worst Day

I apologize in advance, because this post may come off as a whine. Or a vent. Or a combination of a whine and a vent.

I have long thought that January 15th is the worst day of the year, the dead center of a least-favorite month. The days are short and dark. Limp Christmas decorations sit on curbs or wait for banishment to the basement. We shovel out from whatever January sends our way, be it ice, snow, or sleet. We buckle down to undo the damage Christmas splurges inflicted on our pocketbooks or waistline; we white-knuckle through our resolutions.

Is it clear that I dislike January?

But I'm compelled to find what's good in the dank, cold month that makes my spirits sink.

1. My family huddles together, rarely out of earshot. In July, we are hither and yon--at the baseball field, down the street at a neighbor's, mowing the lawn. In January, we tumble over one another. I like the nearness. I like huddling in when the outdoors is uninviting.

2. We look inward. Here in the north, January either demands our attention or leaves us alone. Snowstorms require planning and accommodation. All other days can be dismissed, weather-wise. We don't feel guilty crawling into bed before nine, or staying abed until ten in the morning. What are we missing but another overcast, cold day? Better to read, reflect, to pray about a new year than to think about what nature might have planned.

3. January reminds me of our blessings. In July, a warm house with a sturdy roof seems a given. In the tempests of January, I lay in bed and thank God for the walls around me and the roof above, for the windows that rattle but don't shatter as the cold front blows through. I thank God for a store around the corner with ready supplies should January send its worst. I thank God for science that allows us notice of such events. I thank God for fireplaces, for flashlights, and a pantry full of canned food just in case.

So, as January 15th nears, I'll try to remember the silver lining. It won't be easy. I'll be prone to grumble. But with God's help, I'll remember that He's the Father of all our seasons, both January and July.

What about you, readers? What's your least favorite month or season, and why? Do you have strategies for making that time easier to bear?