In the blink of an eye, January is almost over, and we are diving into what I consider the worst month of the year: February. Don’t get me wrong, of course there’s plenty that’s good about February. Black History Month, the Lunar New Year, half-priced candy in stores after Valentine’s Day. There’s something about the shortest month of the year, though, strangely, that tends to drag.
Maybe it’s that it comes right after January, in which case it never had a chance. February marks the end of that first month of possibility and any boost it might give, the end of a big beginning. This January in particular hit the ground running with insurrection, inauguration, impeachment, whatever’s happening with Gamestop, and, most grievously, soaring numbers of deaths from COVID-19. It feels redundant to say “it’s a lot” when it seems like, for the past eleven months, we’ve been saying the same thing. But it is a lot.
In the speed and monotony that comprise our day-to-day right now, with life and classes zooming by but not a lot of tangible change, it can feel like time is slipping through our fingers like sand in an hourglass. If there’s something in your life that you’re looking forward to, something that you want to come sooner, maybe this is a good thing. For many, though, it can be disorienting to say the least.
In this new month, I hope you’re able to make some time to be present with yourself, with your own heartbeats, your own thoughts. Maybe that means journaling, maybe it means eschewing multitasking as you enjoy a single cup of coffee. Maybe it means going on a wintery stroll, taking in the clean quiet of new snow. Whatever you choose, I hope you feel a sense of peace and presence, reaffirmation of your own two feet on the ground.
In the words of Max Ehrmann, from his poem “Desiderata”:
“Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.”
I hope you feel something like that.
Iman Jafri
Associate Chaplain for Muslim and Interfaith Life