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At the Winter Solstice Turning Toward the Light
At this darkest time of the northern year, a look to the future can be a look toward increasing light. By Trevis GleasonFor Life With Multiple SclerosisDecember 23, 2019Everyday Health BlogsFact-CheckedEventually, a ray of sunlight has to pierce through the gloom.Jutta Kuss/Getty ImagesAs the darkest days of the celestial year have settled over the northern hemisphere, I am reminded of my Druid ancestors’ traditions around this time of year. Be it hauling in a Yule log to warm and light the long, cold nights, hunting the wren on St. Stephen’s Day, or telling old stories to pass the evenings, there is something comforting about the communal experiencing of the dark. A dear friend who practices the old ways says of this time of the year that it’s not about fearing the darkness, but rather about turning our thoughts toward the coming light. We embrace the cold black as well as fight against it by lighting candles and trees for the holiday season. It’s how I’m trying to look at my multiple sclerosis (MS) experience right now as well. A Dark Season of MS Symptoms
I’m currently in hospital enlisting expert medical staff to combat a virulent urinary tract infection. I’ve been battling this one for nearly a month to no avail, so my team felt it time to bring out the heavy guns, as well as to take advantage of my stay to run a few diagnostic tests to figure out not only why we can’t seem to kick this one, but also what might be the root cause. Couple this experience with a few months of new and progressing invisible symptoms, and I’ve had my share of the “dark” to embrace since late summer. From the Darkest Night Things Can Only Get Brighter
So, as my predecessors would have looked forward during these longest nights of the year from their darkened huts to the coming light of the months to come, I look toward the anticipated brightening as well. I have observed some darkening in my spirit over the waning days of autumn. A lighter outlook on life may serve me as well as the soon-to-lengthen days will. From the bottom, there is nowhere to go but up. From the darkest, things can only get lighter. As the world around me settles in for the longest night of the year, I, too, embrace the dark, if only for the reason that I know that things will soon begin to brighten — even if my MS symptoms don’t. Wishing you and your family the best of health. Cheers, Trevis My book, Chef Interrupted, is available on Amazon. Follow me on the Life With MS Facebook page and on Twitter, and read more on Life With Multiple Sclerosis. Important: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not Everyday Health.See More NEWSLETTERS Sign up for our Multiple Sclerosis Newsletter
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