January Blues

I just read an article in a health magazine about the January blues – that sad, empty feeling a lot of people experience after the holidays.

Unlike a mid-life crisis, postpartum depression or bipolar disorder, it’s not due to a hormonal or chemical imbalance, but a type of sensory deprivation.

The glittery Christmas ornaments and velvet tree skirts have been packed up and stored for another year. The pastry dishes are empty now that the rich chocolates and brightly decorated Christmas cookies have been devoured. The living room no longer smells of pine trees and cinnamon. Friends and family aren’t dropping by with laughter, hugs and boxes wrapped in glossy paper and ribbons. The houses lining your neighborhood, now dimly lit in the evenings with a porch light, only weeks ago twinkled in the dark with thousands of festive lights.

It’s January. 

The rooms look naked without Christmas decorations adorning every surface. The decadent meals have been replaced with rice cakes, salads and lo-fat dressing. Parties, Christmas parades and midnight sales are fading memories as we zone out on the couch watching football games and reruns. 

Here in Wisconsin, the weather is frigid and blustery  - the perfect complement to the bleak and barren landscape.

But, you know, I love it. All of it. 

I love how stark and empty the house looks after the last of the glitter and needles have been vacuumed up. The generous expanse of unfilled space inspires creative thoughts.

I love the cold, dark evenings lit only by the fireplace. Peace floods my mind and eases the tension in my body just thinking about it.

I love the simplicity of warm, earthy winter meals. Pure food for the soul.

I love the unknown in all the days spread out in front of me, like the pure white pages of a new journal. What story will God write in the pure white days of my new year?

Working at Shepherds College makes January especially exciting. The students come back from Christmas break! 

Some return sleepy with jet lag, some sad at leaving their parents, some excited to see their friends, most return enthusiastic to learn more about their majors. But all return with an energy to fill the empty halls with something other than echoes.

I love when the students visit my desk after getting back to campus. I hear all their stories of events, activities and new gifts, and watch their faces become animated with emotion at the recollection of the special moments they shared with their families.

I love seeing the teachers filled with new purpose and direction after their much-needed break.

I love looking across the aisle of my church and once again seeing the attentive faces of each student as they try to take in the important words of Life the pastor reads from the Bible and preaches from his heart.

 I love peeking into the days ahead and realizing that we have Special Olympic tournaments, volunteer opportunities, community service, fun weekend activities, extra-curricular classes, new internships, new students, new teachers, orientations, Preview Days, new recipes, gardens, media opportunities, a baccalaureate, celebrations, and a graduation in the year stretched out before us.

For me, this is January at Shepherds College – and, apart from our cold hands - there’s nothing blue about it. 


Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.