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The Dark Months

The holidays are over.  It only seems like life is over.

There is a solid three month period where holidays of various degrees are hitting you one-two-three style.  You have Halloween, which takes some of the sting out of the cooling temperatures and the disappearance of summer.  You have Thanksgiving, with rare foods and the promise of Christmas. 

Then you have a month of prepping and joy for Christmas.  You are so busy, you hardly notice how cold it has gotten.  And this year it got pretty darn cold.  And then Christmas itself.  My wife and I take a week off between Christmas and New Years, so we have that. 

Its a period so full of life.  And then the aforementioned NYE - when the cold decided to take it up a notch.

With triplets, its a little like being shot out of a cannon and taking three months to land.

But when you land, you land firmly in what I call the Dark Months.

There are no more holidays.  Yes, I realize MLK and Presidents Day are in January and February, and yes, I know some people get those days off.  But those aren't holidays in the same way the above mentioned ones are.

Further, its cold now.  And dark. While the days are a hair longer than just before Christmas, its still dark by dinner.  And have I mentioned its cold.  Like 19 as a high cold right now.  So, even if you could hypothetically go outside, you don't want to.  Even a trip out on the weekend doesn't seem so nice when it requires risking hypothermia.

So, lets tick off where we are:
1) its dark, like, all the time
2) its cold, and when it isn't, its just really cold
3) there is literally nothing going on

That is a recipe for bleh.  And bleh we have.  For, oh, three months until things start to warm up and you can  come out from under the rock where you have been residing and go outside.

This is all made worse when you have kids. The kids can't go out.  Not for long periods in this cold.  And they pretty much can't go out at all at night, given the, you know, darkness.  So its all inside.  And it shows.

The kids are antsy and constantly in the business of the other ones.  Conflict is increased.  Its a little like a radioactive isotope being kept in a very small box.  The particles being thrown off are going to collide and explode, its just a matter of when.

And as a result, January - March are probably my worst months as a Dad.  I'm locked inside.  I work from home, I'm home most evenings, I'm home most weekends.  It isn't until March when we can get out and play outdoors, stretch our legs a little, and get in a bike ride or walk.

So, as these next few Dark Months pass, keep me and my miserable self in your thoughts until life can return.


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