Today marks the first day of the end of the winter of our discontent in which light begins to increasingly return to our lives. Beginning today, the days become longer, so those of us afflicted with SAD will hopefully begin relying a bit less on our light boxes each day. Mine is set up right next to my desk, and I’d normally be using it as I’m writing but for the fog outside rapidly yielding to the brilliant morning sun. The golden rays of happiness dancing across the wall of my attic office tend to be a rare but welcome sight in Portland this time of year. We’ve been fortunate this winter in that most of the past two-plus weeks have been clear and cold. It’s 29 degrees this morning, which might not seem newsworthy if you live in northern Manitoba, but the 85% humidity makes it a cold that goes straight through you. The marine climate here in the Pacific Northwest can make winters seem unbelievably brutal.
Soon enough, the rain and grey will return. Dank gloominess will once again become the dominant theme, and I’ll be sitting next to my light box as if it was a campfire. It may not throw off any heat, but the luminosity allows me the leeway of engaging in some serious self-delusion. Hey, you do what you have to, knowhutimean??
The days will be slowly, inexorably growing longer. Some days it may be difficult to remember that through the grey dampness, but it’s progress. July can’t be far away….
