I like to start my day in the dark.

It’s quiet time, when I practice a morning meditation with my pen. There’s something safe about these pre-dawn hours, before the world wakes, a time when the phone doesn’t ring, when it’s too early to engage in the world. The dark envelops me. When I raise my eyes to the window, my reflection looks back. It’s an entirely interior moment, as if the dark buffers me as I find my place, planning my day and establishing a right relationship with the world.

Planning my day is part of being self-employed: I’m my own boss, employee, administrator, bookkeeper and janitor. There are always competing tasks to attend to; the key to a good day is establishing what’s most important and doing that first. Watching the sunrise reminds me of the larger world. I’ll look up from my desk, and instead of my reflection, I’ll see a crack of light in the east, reminding me the earth turns and I’m lucky to be alive another day.

After breakfast, I return to my desk in the daylight. Today, the sun is bouncing off last night’s snow, amplifying the light. So while the sun will shine in Vermont for only nine hours and twenty-two minutes today, it will burn through the thin cold air while it’s up.

The Solstice Approaches

Exactly one month from now, on the winter solstice, daylight will be a quarter-hour shorter here in Vermont. But at 4:47 PM Eastern Time that afternoon, the earth will start to tilt back toward the sun. The days may get colder, but daylight will lengthen.

Join me for the Sixth Annual Writing to the Light

On the afternoon of the solstice this year, the Moore Free Library will again offer Writing to the Light, a supportive writing circle for reflection on the darkest day of the year. I will be facilitating the circle for the sixth year in a row on Wednesday, December 21, from 5:30 – 8 PM. Writers can join in-person or by Zoom. Donations to benefit the Moore Free Library are appreciated.

Writers of all kinds and all levels of experience are invited to reflect on the light in their life in a supportive writing circle. Participants will write to illuminate their inner light, honor their inner voice, and tell whatever stories rise to be told. I will provide prompts and guidance for automatic writing and foster a safe space for those who wish to read their new words.

Register to Join the Circle

Advance registration is required to receive a Zoom link or physical address. Register at https://www.deborahleeluskin.com/contact/