December 4
ADVENT: This is the four weeks before Christmas devoted to the preparation of the "Feast of the Nativity" or Christmas is celebrated.
This is already the 2nd Sunday in Advent. I never seem to be ready on time. Growing up my mother always had a beautiful Advent calendar ready for us children. It was covered with sparkles and little doors. We took turns opening the doors to find beautiful pictures of animals, winter scenes and all the symbols of the coming of Christ. Today Advent calendars also come with little gifts. I think I still have some Advent calendars that never got open by my kids because I was not ready on time.
So this Sunday, we had the Bishop gave the sermon. He really struck home. He talked about the dark days of Advent. It is almost dark by the time we get home. Frankly, I strongly dislike this time of year. Even though I have some Scrooge tendencies, my attitude stems from way too many years of struggles living at the lower ends of low income. Well, the Bishop has helped me to see this Advent (Christmas) season in a new light. This dark season is a time to prepare as best we can. But we still can never really know what is ahead of us. Yet we journey out into the unknown times of our lives. The Bishop shared the story of his brother, loading up his car with his wife, children and his new college degree. They left the mountains and stars of West Virginia, full of hope and dreams into their future - 3000 miles away in Seattle, Washington. Ten years later, his wife had died from a debilitating illness.
This sounded so much like my life story. After 14 years of marriage, I went through a divorce and on to raise two young children by myself. I went back to school to get an MBA. With my new degree, I charged into the work force full of excitement, hopes and dreams of a better life for my family. Five years later, I became seriously ill and had to stop working.
WINTER BLUES
The Bishop said each day of Advent season is one less day of darkness as we move towards why we have Christmas and Hanukkah. Jesus was born into the world as a symbol of light and hope. I'm sure there are lots of people who like me could use a heavy dose of light and hope. Then there are those, who like me would prefer to spend winter in a cave or on the sofa in front of a nice fire. This is what is known as SAD or "Seasonal Affective Disorder". Do long dark days and cold-weather leave you feeling depressed or wanting to sleep all the time? You may want to talk to your doctor if you experience any of the following;
- crave carbohydrates
- gain weight
- feel lethargic
- Loss of interest in normal activities from November to March or April.
I call myself the sunshine girl. I feel better and have loads more energy in the spring, summer and fall- until the days get shorter. My primary care provider suggested leaving all the lights on in the rooms where I spend a lot of time. The small increase in the electric bill is cheaper than the purchase of a light box. This works for me. I can't afford a light box when I'm struggling to keep the electric on. In addition, I take advantage of sunny days and go outside for some winter sun bathing.
WAKE-UP CALLS
My struggles with SAD cause problems when I have to get up at 5:15 AM for work. Then three alarms barely wake me up. It takes two hours to get ready for work. Then I have to stay awake as I am on call from 5 AM to 10 AM. Plus, I have to stay awake driving to work. The benefit of being a substitute teacher is the students usually do an excellent job of keeping you awake or making a fool of you.
So the best thing I have found to date to help me wake up on these dark mornings is a wake-up light. I now wake to gradually increasing light plus several choices of sounds. The steady rise of light intensity allows your body to naturally awaken. I am amazed how much better I feel. Waking to just an alarm makes me feels like someone yanked me out of bed and slammed me into the bedroom wall.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
- I now use Phillip's Wake-Up light. Check it out http://sadtherapylamps.com/phillips
- Or some others to look up: SunBox Company www.sunbox.com or
- Bio-Brite www.biobrite.com for sunrise clocks and light boxes.
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