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5 december 2000

do people hibernate?

Do people hibernate?

It's been on my mind lately. Here's the thing: we're animals, even though we keep doing things to make us forget that. We eat, sleep, and scratch. And yet, we seem to deny ourselves seasonal ebbs and flows, or go to some therapist who will prescribe something to ease our symptoms. I've always been a lucky one, having never really suffered from depression like many artists and writers I love. Sure, I get the occasional bout of blues, but it only lasts a day or two and I'm feeling swell again. Between eating well and frequent workouts, I'm generally a pretty cheerful gal.

And yet...

Winter is here. I like winter. In fact, I love it. It's a wonderful time to travel if you're into that sort of thing. Airlines and destinations are less crowded, the natives can spend more time with you, and it's just fun to sit in a pub and chat when it's freezing outside. There is unity when it's cold. Coming in from it is a regular fellowship. It is a good time to catch up with your friends, remind yourself what color their eyes are, and gain a few pounds overindulging yourselves on warm food.

There is also the other activity of winter, and that is a hibernation of sorts. I do it, and so do lots of my friends. The days are shorter, frantic activities slow down a bit, and nothing seems more inviting than curling up with a good book, renting movies, and boiling tea. Even I slow down in the winter, while simultaneously pumping out new writing. I spend more time alone, a bit more time sleeping, and more moments in utter silence. No tv, no radio, nothing. Just me and Wilma for a few moments, looking out the window, or staring into space. It is refreshing.

Now, not counting people who do suffer from very real, hard-core, difficult-to-manage depression, why do some of us panic at the occasional slow winter moment? Holy moly, if we're not running around busy, keeping our kids busy, and looking busy ad nauseam, then what good are we? It's as if we are afraid of the quiet moments, afraid of "wasting time". Just afraid. Too immediately, some people who don't need to do so are medicating, overcompensating, even shopping too much to avoid having to sit with themselves in a quiet room. Some people would rather do anything, with anyone, then face themselves on a chilly night.

We forget that we are animals. Just plain old mammals, we are. And I sometimes wonder if we would just indulge ourselves in a bit of hibernation, how much sweeter Spring would feel. How refreshed we would feel after our long winter's nap. How much more boldly we could face the sunshine after some cold nights facing ourselves.