November is always a time of retreat for me. Albuquerque gets colder, the night comes more quickly, and a longing for my home fills me up. I spend more nights in my house, indulging in the things that restore me. I sit down with books, reading more frequently and for longer periods of time. My kitchen sees more use in November than any other month as I return to recipes that comfort and nourish my body and soul. I write thousands of words on creative projects, in my journal, in letters.
I love the month of November because October is always hectic. My best friend and I do a whole slate of events themed on the Thirteen Nights of Halloween motif. That means that for more than half the month, I’m either planning a flood of events or attending a flood of events. November is time to breathe, to come back to center, to appreciate a quiet moment. November means taking a break and opting out of anything that’s not necessary.
Especially after the United States returns to Standard Time, November is a time to curl up at home and treasure the coziness and comfort of the place I call my own. It’s a time to appreciate the spaces that have sheltered me from all forms of bad weather, both figurative and literal. I love to spend time in my own space, considering how I surround myself and what my spaces say about me.
This year, I’m leaning so much more into the desire to cook at home. For years, I’ve let myself get comfortable with dining out and relying on the convenience of buying ready-made food whenever I wanted. But there’s something about making a meal for myself, especially the meals that I grew up with and remember fondly, that really just feels so right at this time of the year. I’m trying out new recipes and can’t wait to share them with my friends when they visit.
November is time to breathe, to come back to center, to appreciate a quiet moment.
Try to bring some homeyness to your life this weekend. Here are some things you can do to invigorate your own homebody:
- Slow cook a stew all day. Let the smells of simmering meats and vegetables fill your house.
- Spend an entire day reading. I love cozy mysteries by the likes of Agatha Christie.
- Invite friends over for a board game night. Whether you’re playing the standards like Monopoly and Clue or something more unique like Tokaido or Splendor, a friendly game is a great way to spend a chilly evening.
November is also tinged with introspection. As the last six weeks of 2018 creep up on me, I’ll be looking back on the last year. I’ll spend time taking stock of what I got done, what went unfinished, and how I found happiness in the gaps between.
This was a year where I feel the width of that gap more severely than I would like. I’m working hard to let what this month traditionally means to me inform that feeling, trying to appreciate that though I didn’t do everything I wanted, that I still managed to do a great many things that I did set out to do.
I’m working to accepting that life is every bit as much about the journey of how I got somewhere as it is where I end up. I’m giving myself permission to appreciate hardships and how they prepare me for harder obstacles further on the way. I’m not letting myself be too hard on me; it’s important to accept things as they are and keep trying. No amount of hard feelings can change what’s already been done.
I’ll be spending a lot more quality time with my journal over the next few weeks, thinking about what 2019 has in store for me. I know that I’ll be bringing many goals I had for this year forward with me, but I think there’s plenty of room for some new adventures too. After all, I’ve got all of November to relax, recharge, and contemplate how to make next year even better.