Why January Is A Great Month
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, January is a bit like a difficult sibling. It’s harder to love than, say, the month of June. June is sun, outdoor weddings, vacation time. January is a return to work after the holidays. It is cold, snow, hazardous driving. Yet, it is also one of the most intriguing months of the year.
I can empathize with those who trudge grudgingly through this time. Growing up in northern New Jersey, I resented having a January birthdate. I envied friends with summer birthdays who could have backyard parties, birthday picnics in a park. I once worked with a man whose wife hated January so much, he would give her a gift on each of its 31 days.
I no longer lament my January birth date. It’s provided a helpful metaphor for life. Being born in such a harsh month made me tough. January taught me that most obstacles, most disappointments are temporary. If you have the gumption to weather the inevitable struggles, can spring be far behind?
January makes you work harder to see beauty. But beauty is there. It might be an intricate pattern in a sheet of cracked ice. Or the way the sun can make it seem like a thousand diamonds are embedded in a frozen snow. Or the graceful elegance of the upraised branches of a bare tree.
January includes International Creativity Month — a holiday of particular significance to a writer like me. Also Ellis Island Day (I’m the granddaughter of two sets of Italian immigrants) and World Peace Day (who isn’t for peace?).
It is National Slow Cooking Month and Hot Tea Month (I love both cooking and a steaming cup of Earl Gray tea).
January babies share their birth month with Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, Franklin Roosevelt, Stephen Hawking, J.R.R Tolkien, Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton, to name just a few. Both Alexander Hamilton and Lin Manuel-Miranda, who wrote a musical about Hamilton, were born this month.
On the Christian liturgical calendar, my birthdate of January 25 marks “The Conversion of St. Paul.” In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul is en route to Damascus to arrest Christians when he gets knocked off his horse by a vision of the risen Christ. A voice asks him, “Saul, Saul (his Jewish name), why do you persecute me?” He is blinded for a while, but when he regains his sight, Paul becomes one of the most fervent of disciples.
Being born on January 25 reminds me that it’s necessary to be knocked off my high horse on occasion in order to begin seeing more clearly.
January is named for the Roman god Janus, who could look at once both behind and ahead. This week, we head toward winter’s finishing line: February will be a short month and March ushers in spring. To those who dislike January, I say look ahead. Just maybe you will catch a glimmer of spring.
If that doesn’t work, try imitating my colleague who brought his wife a daily gift to lift her spirits. Do something kind for yourself every day. Savor this time.
