January: The Cruelest Month or the Comfort Month?

Whoever said that April is the cruelest month was wrong--or he lived in England.  I do realize that T. S. Eliot is the one who first penned the line.  However if you Google the line because you want to be sure that you're remembering where it was in "The Waste Land," you'll discover all sorts of trivia, like that it was a title for an episode of Beverly Hills 90210.

No, I think that January is the cruelest month, where it seems that winter has settled in to stay, like a tenant who is at first happy to live at discounted rates in your cottage, but then begins to complain about things you can't possibly fix.  Or about things you dread fixing.  Or maybe the metaphor doesn't work at all.

My spouse and I were talking about January weather.  We are expecting highs near 70 degrees tomorrow.  The temps will be high for January, in part, because of the thick cloud cover that keeps the January heat from escaping.  I would rather have cloudy warmth than cold sunshine, but my spouse is the opposite.  That's not accurate either.  My spouse really missed the warmth and sun of South Florida.

I thought of January cruelty yesterday when I went in to give blood so that the lab could check my health.  Happily, the phlebotomist was wonderful--no cruelty in that needle stick. 

It's January when so many of us bump up against the reality of the riotous living we've enjoyed at the end of the year.  It's January when we try to get back on track.  Cruel, cruel January.

Or maybe I need to reshape my thinking.  Maybe January is the month that reminds us of the better selves that we want to be.  Maybe January is the comfort of the loved ones (human and pets) who always welcome us back with open, loving arms.

Yesterday, after writing an e-mail commiserating about the harsh reality of January, I finished an e-mail this way:

"But know that health can be regained. And it's easier to regain health than it is if one had never been healthy and suddenly needed to adopt healthier habits. The body remembers and wants to be of service to us. Spring will be here soon--resurrection is not only possible, but assured."

May it offer hope to us all.