I’ve never liked November. I don’t know why, especially since there are so many celebrations in my family in November and, of course, Thanksgiving. And I’ve always enjoyed Thanksgiving, so why do I dread November?
Perhaps it is the dreary weather so often encountered in the Northeast, where I grew up and lived for so many years. Lack of sun, the gray and too-barren landscape, and early snow storms conspire to undermine my personal practice of Beauty. I can find that Beauty in November’s landscape — but I have to work harder at it, and that bothers me.
It is easier here in the Southeast. The camellias are blooming red, pink, and white in my yard. The Live Oaks wear their stoles of Spanish Moss which sways elegantly in the November breezes. There is plenty of sunlight. I need only to look out to encounter True Beauty in this place’s November.
My November discomfort may be related to the holidays or the holi-daze. For my life, I have spent too many of them alone, and that has not been easy. When I recall all the past holidays filled with family and loved ones, I often compare and contrast with the “alone” holiday experiences.
But as I have written elsewhere, comparing and contrasting can be an unproductive trap. The action may eviscerate any truth of the Beauty at hand here in the present.
And here I am, looking at my dread, figuring it out, moving away from it and beyond — I hope! And remember that I am so grateful to be living in this country, in these times, where we have so much freedom to be. To be.
So:
HAPPY DAY, HAPPY THANKSGIVING — GIVE THANKS!