I’m sitting at my writing desk in my bedroom, a place I really enjoy reading and writing but haven’t been in quite some time. I spent many hours here in the summer and as the temperature dropped and the sun disappeared, I found myself hibernating in the back of the apartment, secluded by the trees.
For the past few days, the sun has been consistently shining in Berlin which as it turns out has had a massive effect on my mood. I know it’s a running joke that the sun can make all the difference or season but I’m reminded of this truth when I realize how happy I feel with just an ounce of sunshine. Anyway, I’ve spent a lot of time outside the past two days and now I’m sitting by the window with the sun beaming in while Russ sleeps behind me. I’m also eating dried mango which makes me even happier.
Due to this improved mood, I put on an album I hadn’t listened to in a while and used to listen to quite often. I had the vinyl and would put it on while I cooked. I did this a lot during the pandemic when I was living in California. It’s Carole King’s “One to One” which in my opinion, is an almost perfect album. When I put this one earlier while walking, I was instantly transported back to my kitchen in California. This is a good form of nostalgia, in my opinion.
I made myself a promise last year which was: I would attempt to escape German winter at least for part of it in my attempt to sidestep seasonal depression. Well, I’m officially doing just that! Next week, a good friend of mine and I are Tenerife bound and I haven’t looked forward to something like this in quite some time. I want to see the ocean, feel the sun on my skin and eat good food. As I said a few months back, going to Greece saved my soul at a time when I felt like I was rotting away. Maybe I need to look into living in a sunnier place at some point… or for part of the year…. which brings me back to my memories of California. I love that beautiful state.
I’ll always stand by this statement but I do love the seasons, all of them. Despite the frigid temperatures and grey skies, I’ve always categorized life’s big moments by the seasons. I appreciate the winter for what it is, a time for rest/downtime and when the sun rarely shines, standing directly in its exposure and looking forward to warmer days. All the things I’m doing right now during winter are preparing me to enjoy the summer to its fullest extent.
Will report back if I’m healed after my time in the sun.