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January seems to go on forever.
It is often extremely cold and snowy, which is fine if you don’t have to leave your house.
But worst of all, it can be a difficult month for people to endure mentally and emotionally. It is no secret that January has historically been the month with the highest suicide rate.
The post-holiday let down often amplifies issues that might have been glossed over during the often-forced merriment, only to return more intensely with January’s long, dark days and nights.
And let’s face it: This January has been hard for the entire country – and world for that matter.
If you have been anywhere near social media – or any media – this month, you might just be seething with rage, or you might be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
I don’t say that lightly.
Everything we have known as a country until this point is at risk of being completely dismantled. We are living in a time of tremendous chaos, with a deep sense of hopelessness, fear and mistrust in our government and one another.
Whatever sense of safety and security we might have felt in years past has evaporated.
And if you can’t understand why many people are feeling so disheartened, angry and scared, then keep reading.
February – despite it having many of the same qualities as January – is one of my favorite months.
February, of course, is the month we celebrate love, which in my opinion needs to be added to every month of the calendar – you know, just as a friendly reminder.
The holiday has become grossly commercialized, but from the time I was a child, the idea of a day set aside simply for giving and receiving loving vibes has captivated me.
When the calendar switches to the first of this month, I go into full-on heart mode.
I tend to listen to ballads more frequently, maybe watch more romantic comedies. I have been known to immerse myself in poetry. And I read books about the nature of our spiritual hearts, which, by the way, are vastly expansive when we pay attention to them.
I was one of those kids who seemed to always watch from the sidelines as everyone around me got cards, flowers, candy, etc., as a sign of someone else’s affection for Valentine’s Day.
That sounds depressing, but I found a way to make Valentine’s Day about love itself – spiritual love, the love that lies at the foundation of our existence, and the love we have for and express for ourselves and each other.
As we are witnessing to such an extreme degree, we cannot love others the way God wants us to if we don’t learn how to love ourselves first.
When we shift our perspective from the head to the heart, miracles can take place.
Our heart space literally feels more expansive. We feel more at peace, more balanced.
We feel connected to the rest of creation, and we recognize that what happens to one of us affects all of us. We begin to actively send out loving vibes from our hearts into the world and the people around us. Even better, we turn away from those things and people who seek only to separate and divide.
This is great news, and it is ours if we open ourselves to it, but as the late Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh wisely said: “The longest journey you will ever take is from your head to your heart.”
If we want the gifts that come from living in our heart space, we have to recognize the violence that is inside of us – all of us. And then we commit to responsibly doing our part to uproot these violent inner tendencies while resting in the love that is the foundation of our being.
Living primarily from either the head or the heart will not give us the balanced life we need. But when we choose to live a heart-centered life, guided by the reason and logic of our mind, everyone around us benefits.
Finally, I will conclude with these famous words from Albert Camus for all of you. I hope they give you hope and serve as a friendly reminder on days when you just aren’t feeling it:
My dear,
In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.
In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.
In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.
I realized, through it all, that …
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better – pushing right back.
SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com.