Yup, It's November Again

It's relentless outside as I write this, a constant deluge of rain, clouds have descended into the tree tops and the sound of life outside is drowned out by the rush of water all around me. My apartment has many windows and skylights and the effect today is one of living in a glass globe placed under a waterfall. Cascading is the only word that comes to mind.

I had been searching for some blogging inspiration by going through my previous posts, looking at things I had started and not finished and there it was - a post about November, started last November  the 23rd. Today is the 21st of the month and my mood is the same as it was then. Dark and damp. And the forecast for the next seven days is less daylight, more rain. The Vancouver Sun today tells me that the rainfall to date this month is 63 mm or 2.48 inches more than the normal totals. It has been raining a lot.

My father hated November and after he retired, he and my mom often planned a holiday somewhere warmer and drier for this month. I didn't understand it then.  November for me was just a break between a gorgeous, golden leaf-filled October and Christmas, a time to start gift

shopping and enjoying the new tv season. What was the problem?  February had always been my problem month. Cold, bleak and devoid of highlights except for the manufactured silliness of Valentine's Day. But now, I am starting to see my dad's point of view. November sucks.

Is November weather getting worse or is it just me?  I have always been sensitive to the cold, that is nothing new so my home is warm and I keep wool cardigans and throws handy and sheepskin slippers on my feet. The hall closet is filled, almost embarrassingly so with down coats, scarves, gloves and boots. I am prepared for the outdoors.

I just don't want to go out there. I suffer from SAD, Seasonal Affected Disorder, but I'm venturing a guess that most of us that live here feel a touch of the winter blues. For me it manifests as a desire to drink coffee and/or wine, eat carbs and chocolate and stay in bed as long as I can in the morning. My brain turns foggy and my memory is poor. At the end of the day I can't remember what I was supposed to have accomplished with the previous hours. Whatever it was probably didn't get done if it wasn't written down. I use a light therapy box in the mornings and force myself to get outside as much as I can as even a grey day offers some benefit to those suffering from SAD.  Some days it doesn't seem important enough to bundle up and brave it though, I'd rather eat another cookie and find things to do inside. I don't suffer enough to require medication I just need November to pass. It appears it's not the weather getting worse that is the problem.

December never seems to be quite as bad as November, it usually doesn't rain as much. Then, as the winter miracle approaches on December 21st, that being the solstice, not the birth of Christ, my spirit lifts every so slightly. The days start getting longer, praise the lord!  There are also the distractions of Christmas and New Year's Eve to make the days sparkle a bit as opposed to the solemness of Remembrance Day that November holds. November could be enjoyed as the start of ski season, the play-off time for football, the NHL gets into gear, and the Black Friday sales are coming ....but not for me. Here on the great wet coast of BC it's dark, it's damp and I'm pulling the blankets over my head and making cookie crumbs in the bed. Wake me up December 22nd.

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to leave a comment!