Hello, dear reader.

This time of year feels like the most exhausting. October seems heavy in many ways; it drops onto your shoulders like a heavy black sandbag that you just have to carry, even though you really don't have the strength for it. Life goes on, and the evenings grow darker, even though all I want to do is curl up by the fireplace to knit for a week and have a bucket of ginger tea by my side. I want to doze off whenever I feel sleepy—meaning often throughout the day—and just gaze into the fire's glow.

Every year at this time, I’m struck by fatigue. A hammer-like blow that doesn’t fade while staring at the bottom of a vitamin bottle or sipping coffee. Life slows down, even though I try hard to stick to my routines, chores, and work, which don’t understand that I need to slowly adjust to the darkness and cold. I miss the time when we understood how to curl up in the corners of our homes in the dim light after a busy summer and listen to stories. But now we have electric lights. And clocks. Ugh, annoyingly persistent clocks that don’t care to hear that I just can’t manage right now. I’ve tried.

This year, I decided not to judge myself or the feeling that I’m not getting anything done. I’ll let time pass and let the work wait. It won’t run away. I’ll slow down and rest. I’ll turn off the electric lights and let my eyes adjust to the candlelight. I’ll do just as much as I can.

Just this thought has helped me immensely to cope with October's dark evenings and dim mornings. Ah, how the soul, mind, and body rest when you don’t have to do and think about a thousand things at once. And yet nothing truly stops. Life moves on, and things progress, but at their own pace. When I rush around, I just don’t notice what I’ve already accomplished.

Here’s a video about my slow life in October in the North. Take a big cup of steaming, honeyed tea, wrap yourself in a blanket, and enjoy the video. I hope you find inspiration for a slower life in it. We’ve earned that in this October chill and muck.

I wish you a slow and peaceful October. Thank you for being here ❤️

♥ Sanna