Betwixtmas
As that inspired Guardian columnist calls it. Evidently I'm not the only one who has come unstuck in time, unable to keep days straight and losing a few in the process. I keep thinking today is New Year's Eve and am confused that there's still, yet, one more day left in this year.
At first I put this achronicity down to having a week-plus off work: but we closed between Christmas and New Year last year and I was quite grounded then. But last year Christmas was a Monday, which gave the illusion of a long weekend followed by a week's holiday. Must be the Tuesday date that does it, I figured. I was off work on the 21st and three days passed before Christmas itself, a disconcerting age at this time of year. Then followed two days holiday midweek and two normal days and then two days of weekend, a whipsaw alternation. But I checked my journal for 2012, when Christmas was also a Tuesday, and no, there was no floaty time sense then. But that year I was working and had a need to remember what day was what, etc etc.
In the end I must ascribe my muzziness to the lack of markers. Christmas was Christmas but everything afterwards was rain and malaise that kept me indoors more than usual. My wonted cafes and restaurants were closed, even when I wasn't bilious; the weather zig-zagged from seasonally cold on Monday to unseasonably warm on Friday (also the only bit of sun we got this week) to snow this morning. My Saturday routine was cancelled by the appointments I couldn't keep, and I visited my aunt today, which then felt like Saturday. But all will be back to normal come Wednesday, and I fancy I will be relieved.
At first I put this achronicity down to having a week-plus off work: but we closed between Christmas and New Year last year and I was quite grounded then. But last year Christmas was a Monday, which gave the illusion of a long weekend followed by a week's holiday. Must be the Tuesday date that does it, I figured. I was off work on the 21st and three days passed before Christmas itself, a disconcerting age at this time of year. Then followed two days holiday midweek and two normal days and then two days of weekend, a whipsaw alternation. But I checked my journal for 2012, when Christmas was also a Tuesday, and no, there was no floaty time sense then. But that year I was working and had a need to remember what day was what, etc etc.
In the end I must ascribe my muzziness to the lack of markers. Christmas was Christmas but everything afterwards was rain and malaise that kept me indoors more than usual. My wonted cafes and restaurants were closed, even when I wasn't bilious; the weather zig-zagged from seasonally cold on Monday to unseasonably warm on Friday (also the only bit of sun we got this week) to snow this morning. My Saturday routine was cancelled by the appointments I couldn't keep, and I visited my aunt today, which then felt like Saturday. But all will be back to normal come Wednesday, and I fancy I will be relieved.