I have been thinking recently about those people who are very depressed in deep winter and find that time seems to crawl by. Well, I’m not a great fan of winter myself. My favorite hobbies are things like gardening, bird-watching, trombone-playing, canoeing, and hiking. I like to throw in a couple rounds of golf and a trout fishing trip. As you can see, all but one are summer things and even the community band I’m in for playing trombone takes January off. So how can we make January go by faster and add a little joy in the process? Here are my suggestions.
1. Find a January-friendly hobby or two.
My wife and I start doing jigsaw puzzles after the Christmas rush and keep doing them until spring. With the help of folks who stop by, we may complete 10-15 of them before we quit and wait til the next January. We use mostly the same puzzles with just a couple new ones added that friends give us or we buy each year.
My wife took up a new musical instrument this year – folk harp. She had just a few lessons before playing a couple carols at our Christmas Eve service. Now she is using some of these cold January nights to improve her skill. They say learning a new instrument is great for brain development too.
2. Spend more time with those you love.
In addition to the puzzles, JoAnne and I try to spend some evenings playing board games (Sequence) during January. Once in a while I will watch an old Star Trek with her (she’s a real Trekie).
3. Invite feathered friends to your place.