September Blackout

Forget April. For me, September’s always been the cruellest month. I’m sure I’m not the only one who hears the school bell ring and feels for the bruise, or the place where the bruise once was, to see if it still hurts. I suppose a lot of September “resolutions” stem from a need for self-protection or -preservation.

As for me, I become a freaking Puritan in September.

I usually give up sugar and grains between Labour Day and [Canadian] Thanksgiving. This year, I’m trying out a Ketogenic protocol. And, I almost always go on a social media blackout, turning off Facebook and Twitter for a month and going wordless and ♥-less on Insta.

I schedule like mad, and I bury myself in work. Recently, I set aside my bullet journal from the first half of the year in favour of this holy, perfect, Hadron Epoch day-planner.  And, I’ve been using it to maximize the hours I can spend on the ya fanasy novel [code name: #Tellurine] I began writing with my daughter over the summer. This project is certainly going to prove a handy “diversion” as I submit my finished literary novel, The Week in Radio, to agents and publishers. [Truth be told, #Tellurine has become an obsession. We’re already more than 20,000 words in. Praise Be!]

So, September restraint has its benefits. Not to mention its little luxuries. Sure, I tighten the belt, finanically. But, in the process, I find cheapo ways to relax.  I force myself to meditate at least 5 minutes a day. I do at least 1 at-home session of super-slow Yin Yoga per week. And, I take extra-long baths on Saturdays with extra-long library books.

So, yes, in this self-imposed darkness, “We Have LIGHT.”

Come on, Jackass September. Do your worst.