The diversity of December days

I have to admit, I didn’t start the new week very enthusiastically, which had begun gray and dark. I had the feeling that all days consisted of nothing but night.

As it was too dark for me in the mornings, I went for a run straight after work on Monday and ended up jogging at night anyway. The snow and cold had given way to wetter and milder days and the Rhine was flooding again. Together with the upcoming weekly tasks on my list, my life seemed pretty monotonous.

The blessing of nature

It was Thursday again that brought the turning point. The day was another gray one with rain showers, but I got out of the city again to meet my father in Germany. And as I often do, I got off the road on the way back to go for a little walk in the countryside. It really is amazing how much difference half an hour between meadows and trees can make. The view into the distance of the hills of the Black Forest and the Vosges mountains in France, the variety of plants even now in winter, when many have withered and dried up. And I like the trees in winter, when their statics, their structures are visible.

Praising the winter sun

From Friday onwards, the days became sunny and so at least the 8 hours when it was light were revitalizing. The low sun and the resulting light have their own charm. Morning light all day long! And again, it’s the bare trees that give the whole thing a certain charm. The sun shining through them, creates soft shadows and poetic plays of light on the house walls.

Sweet memories in gray

At the weekend, the fog put a spanner in the works. Although I like the fog. Having lived in Milan in my youth, where weeks of fog were as much a part of winter as snow is in the mountains, there’s something melancholy and peaceful about fog that I like. Although I don’t need it for weeks anymore and I have to admit that back then the fog was more smog and brown instead of gray.

Here comes the sun again

Sunday lived up to its name again, with a bright blue sky. I decided to go for a spontaneous walk in the morning. I walked the normal route in the opposite direction. It’s amazing what effect this has. Simply experiencing the familiar the other way round and discovering it from a new perspective. Like the 30-minute break on Thursday, it was a little therapy to break up the daily grind and become aware of myself and my surroundings.

Time to be less social, more myself

I’ve been thinking a lot about this self-awareness recently. Due to the constant distraction and low-level irrigation that the digital world is pouring over us, the awareness and perception of our own needs is suffering. I would therefore like to de-digitalize my life. No constantly popping up app messages on the phone, reading books instead of watching videos and feeling my own feelings without being constantly manipulated. A resolution for the new year? Perhaps. I just don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. But I definitely feel that I want to change something in my emotional world.

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