The Urge to Linger

When I was a child, eager to move on to the next best thing, my mother would always say, “Don’t wish your life away.”

I’ve found myself reciting this same line to my son as he spends his days looking ahead rather than finding joy in the present. I want him to learn to love lingering, to be slow to leave something because of the inherent beauty found within all that the moment offers.

This week, as the rest of the world rushes on to Christmas, we are choosing to linger in fall. My Christmas decorations remain tucked away in the recesses of my loft. My fridge is still stocked with Chobani oat milk pumpkin spice creamer. My mantel still pays homage to changing leaves and bursts of yellow, orange, and red. My house still beckons visitors with orange house lights and Snoopy carrying a pie. We’re still playing the “Swingin’ Thanksgiving” Pandora playlist, featuring Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Ella Fitzgerald. 

It’s not that I don’t love Christmas because I do. Goodness, I do. My husband will also be reminded of how much I love Christmas when he commences hauling down all of the Christmas totes on Friday. But in the same way that everyone will rush to put away their Christmas decorations on December 26, we will keep ours out until Epiphany, lingering in the totality of the holiday season. Our Christmas decorations will still see plenty of use, even if we wait to put them out until after Thanksgiving.

Today, we’re slow to part with fall and all of its loveliness. In a world always rushing ahead, it feels delightful to just simply stay.

Cheers from the cottage,

Colleen