January Moonlight

Kiel came to pick me up from work, and remarked on how bright it was outside despite the fact that the sun had long retired and the moon was high overhead. Ah, yes! A January moon! Perfect for those late night excursions to sled down the perfect sledding hill or just take a long walk. Almost full, the light was reflected by the banks of snow mounded about, setting a magical exciting atmosphere inviting one to come and play.

Not for me this year. I have had my times of magic and romance underneath a January moon. I will have more times of love and happiness underneath a January moon. This year? I am still recuperating from my New Year's Resolution. I am sad that I can't make the fairy take journey into the wintry night. I stand in my bedroom staring up at the delightful orb, remembering the tobogganing trip when we nearly slammed into a tree and drank hot chocolate around the blazing campfire when I was in high school.

I remember the January our youth group did an around town treasure hunt, finding tidbits here and there from the still open stores up and down the moonlit Main Street in Johnstown, our cheeks kissed red by the jovial wind. And the year we built a huge snowfort in the backyard and all the neighborhood kids gathered for the be all and end all snowball fight of the century, our snowsuits glistening in the moonlight, our mittens soaked, our breath lingering frosty white in clouds about us.

Great times. Great memories. I will add more to the collection. Next year. Next year for sure. This year, I manage to take a bag of trash to the dumpster as a lame excuse to just be out in the moonlight for a minute, a mere nod to my desires. When I come back inside, the weatherman is saying that the moon is the brightest it has been for a long time, owing to the particular tilt of orbit and position of the sun. Rats. It will just have to be better next year. Plan now. Call your friends. Make a night of it. These times fade quickly into the oblivion of daily drudgery and the daylight of common sense.