Opinion articles provide independent perspectives on key community issues, separate from our newsroom reporting.

Letters to the Editor

Blake A. Tedder: January a time to relax, reflect

I was a bit disheartened when I read Josh Shaffer’s Jan. 2 column “Finding inspiration in January, that cold, depressing season of ‘now what?’ ” the other day because I believe in January.

Though he gave some practical advice on “dealing” with the month, his “stab at enthusiasm” is the wrong message.

January is the perfect time to square with the madness of life we all experience – especially in 2016. It is a time to slow down, to be quiet, to reflect and to rest. It is what winter would always have us do, if we were connected to our seasons.

Isn’t quiet reflection the perfect antidote to the feverish rhetoric and mindless tit-for-tat of those who are whipping our world up beyond recognition? Do we have to stay amped up all the time?

It is OK to be solemn. It is OK to be sad. It is OK to be without revelry.

Spring is always right around the bend. With the climate changing, let’s hope this pattern endures.

Blake A. Tedder

Hillsborough

This story was originally published January 7, 2017 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Blake A. Tedder: January a time to relax, reflect."

Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER