C O M F O R T I N T H E D A R K | 20/12/17
For me, the winter has always been a magical time of the year. While some dread the cold, dark evenings - I have always loved them. I revel in the comfort that comes with being curled up indoors and the joy that I find when surrounded by fairy lights.
The sparkle of winter has always outweighed the darkness.
Creating a warmth in winter is important to me, though. When I am somewhere - I like to make it mine. I have dabbled in the idea of hygge, and even got more involved with Christmas spirit in recent years. The reality, though, is that I don't need all of these things. I just need the comfort of a warm space and a quiet crackle of a candle or fire.
Comfort in my own mind is something I have struggled with for as long as I can remember, but in the darkness, I know that it is okay to be who I am.
When I was young, one of my favourite books was The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson. In the book, a young barn owl named Plop meets many characters. A little boy, an old lady, a Boy Scout, a girl waiting for Christmas, a naturalist, an astronomer, and, a beautiful hunting cat named Orion. Plop faces his fear of the dark by learning about all the great things it can bring to people. Dark is 'exciting,' 'kind,' 'necessary,' and above all 'dark is super'.
I have never really been afraid of the dark, that I remember, but I am often afraid of my mind and with the dark can come some of the scariest thoughts. But like the characters in Tomlinson's book, I have learnt to harness the dark for what it is. It is kind and necessary to every aspect of my life. I need it to be dark to appreciate the fairy lights that I love so much. I need it to be dark to feel at peace when I curl up at night in my boyfriend's arms.
Even when the shining lights feel like they are fading, the dark is not something to fear. There is always magic and sparkle within us.
At risk of this becoming very literature and cliche heavy, here is a very popular quote to finish:
“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
- Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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