We are in the middle of the long, dark months of winter. It is a time when some people struggle to keep focused and relaxed as they wait for spring flowers to bloom. There are many suggestions about how to get through these months by making them cozy, thoughtful, and deliberate.

A quick internet search could fill pages about how to accomplish this. Some recurring ideas are: get outside when you can, enjoy warm drinks, read books in a cozy place, spend time baking and eating comfort foods, stay connected with family and friends, use low lighting, enjoy quiet time, take hot baths, embrace the darkness and the cold, and gather near the fire.

Recently, I discovered a wonderful example of thriving during the winter months from an unlikely source. I found it in a journal written by a man living in a hut in Antarctica in 1912 with his fellow explorers. The part that interested me was written in May, the beginning of total darkness at the bottom of the world. The journal records that the men had endured 31 straight days of 60 mph winds and total darkness. The journal begins, “The whole world is asleep, except the nightwatchman,” and then he describes the nightwatchman’s job in the isolated hut near the South Pole. The nightwatchman begins his shift by making bread for the next day and washing a tub full of clothes for him and his mates. He is also responsible for keeping the fire going throughout the night. Since they are exploring the region, he must observe and write notes about the aurora every 15 minutes and about the weather every half hour. 

After washing the clothes and baking the bread, the watchman takes a bath in a warm tub of water, then quickly dresses and enjoys some buttered toast and a cup of hot coffee. As these warm his body and soul, he sets aside the dense notes he has been studying, gets his novel, and reads it by the shaded burner hanging from the canvas chair near him. As he reads, the wind gusts and booms outside, and he hears the dogs howling every so often. The shuttering of the wind urges him to a cozy corner of the hut, where his bunk is. To light the way there, he carries a hurricane lamp and gathers his bundle of letters. Though he knows them well, he rereads each one again as he fondly remembers those who sent them; from what seems like a lifetime ago. The only things to interrupt his evening are the observations of the rippling sky and the bitterness of the wind.

The peaceful description of this nightly scene makes it evident that dark, long nights are not to be feared. Instead, they are to be embraced, enjoyed, and cherished. If accomplished, the memory of those dim times will settle in our souls and allow us to find healing during each winter month that comes to us.

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Journal from “Alone on the Ice” by David Roberts, pages 149-150.