Melancholy

This evening a melancholy sets in, just a simple, small, sad feeling that overcomes us all from time to time.  Perhaps it is from the end of a long week, or maybe from the sad realization that the seasons are changing and once more we must prepare for the winter darkness.

Of course my winter, here in Northwest Florida, can in no way compare to what the Midwest, northeast, or Alaska will experience .  Here the sun will rise at about 6 am and set at about 5 pm.  It will be cool, sometimes chilly, sometimes damp, and more often require only a light jacket, but those days are still months away.

I was reminded, in the poem “Seasons Crashing In,” by W.B. Picklesworth, that winter is coming and with it the obligations of that time of year.  That statement seems much more dour than I intend, but right now I am not looking forward with great anticipation to the coming months.  In my work, much of what I do is reactive to the thoughts and whims of others. 

For example, October 1 is the beginning of the new fiscal year for our government.  Has Congress passed its budget, so we know how much we have to spend and what we are to spend it on?  Of course not!  Those actions are likely a month or more away, because they are not focused on the running the nation, but on one-upmanship trying to gain a political advantage.  With the arrival of January we will enter in earnest the political season for the 2012 election, so it is very possible we will see no budget until they are forced to pass one so they can begin work on not passing the fiscal year 2013 one.

Oh well, as I told a friend today "This too shall pass."