In the Dark
It was perhaps in third grade when I first learned about our solar system and the rhythms of the Earth. The teacher mentioned that the winter solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. My child brain skidded to a halt, but my shy child self did not permit me to raise my hand and confirm or clarify what I was thinking; if everything I had been told was true, consequently the days following the solstice would start to get longer. YAY!
So it is that we find ourselves today in the thick of the darkness, rejoicing at every additional minute of light. On some days I do yearn for more light, but then I realize that time is time regardless of visibility, and use the darkness to gestate ideas and projects. The dark seems to blanket outside disturbance and dampen distractions. My mind is then free to meander through my inner world which holds immeasurable possibilities.
Darkness also seems to invite quiet which in turn allows me to listen better. Herein is (I believe) our reason for being: listening in order to become our best selves and harmoniously integrate with the Universe;
Instead of thinking of the dark as uncomfortable and disconcerting, I invite you to practice tolerance of ambiguity and allow the dark to envelope you. Think of it as the fabric we are all woven into; where we share the human experience of being in the dark.
I leave you with an oldie but goodie--a verse from “The Sound of Silence” by Paul Simon:
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence