Recently, I was discussing the difference between the current economic situation/war in Iraq and the Great Depression/World Wars I and II with a friend of mine. We were talking about how, even though we haven’t lived in both eras, they seem so different even though they are both times of war and economic crisis. We are in a war, but I don’t feel like I am sacrificing anything, and it just feels so far away. I’m not having to ration sugar or flour, donate scrap metal or tires, or grow a victory garden. We are in hard times, economically speaking, but I still have my home, my job, and food on the table. I’m not making dresses out of curtains or living life the Walton family-style.

The main difference seems to be the abstract nature of war and economics in this century. In fact, so much seems abstract, especially information, advertising, and the nature of some people’s jobs. So little feels “real” anymore (including our food–see previous posts). How might we live differently if we could feel the weight of our country’s actions? We get so far removed from issues of national debt–even our own debt–and the debt of those who have lost their lives in a war that, to so many Americans, doesn’t even feel real. How might we live differently if we could grasp this reality?

Dark days, darker nights. You can’t escape this in Seattle, and the next 10 days aren’t looking any better rain-wise.

Since I’ve been thinking about the impact of turning back the clock last weekend, I wanted to respond to a “writer’s block” prompt I found on Hillary’s blog:

As the Northern hemisphere spins toward the shortest day of the year, it’s getting dark earlier and earlier. What comforts do you fall back on when the days are short and the nights are long?

For me, it’s warm drinks, especially coffee, chai, green tea, red tea, cocoa, and cider. I love cooking from fall’s bounty, too. I just made a spinach, fontina, pear, and chicken sausage pizza with some herb dough that fed my winter cravings. I love sweet potatoes and butternut squash, oatmeal, a hearty chili or stew, and anything with pumpkin or cranberries. I much prefer a blood-red pomegranate or a Honeycrisp apple to Halloween treats or stocking stuffers. The natural sweetness and beautiful colors of the foods of fall are what appeal to me most.

I love reading when the days get darker, as well. Since September, I have read quite a few books, and I’m working on two right now. On Halloween, I bought the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but I’m not there yet. I enjoy reading in bed right before I fall asleep nestled in the comforter’s folds. There’s something about a good story to keep me going through the long, dark winter.

I also like light and fire this time of the year. Right now, I’m typing this accompanied by a candle on the table. Other times, I might turn on our gas fireplace while Justin and I (and Virgil, if we’re lucky) snuggle on the couch and watch a movie. Perhaps we’ll string up our twinkle lights before having people over for board games and snacks–anything to drench our home with the warmth of light.

Lastly, I like to take advantage of any clear, crisp days we have that might feature the SUN! Now, for Seattle, the next 10 days feature a rather high chance of rain. However, on a clear morning, if I can look out my classroom and see Mount Rainier shining in the distance, surrounded by fog at its feet, I know it will be a good day, albeit only 8 hours of sunlight. I love clear, crisp days, though I’m more likely to find them in Idaho at my in-law’s or in Arkansas with my family. I look forward to being there in a little more than a month , because if there are more remedies to short days, they are travel, friends, family, and holidays.