Come inside, take off your shoes

November. Most years, it’s my least favourite month (you too?), though I know it’s wrong to judge. This year I’m looking for the positives. There are at least two sides to November. It’s the eleventh month when the darkness comes so fast, and the clock jumps back to leave you drinking afternoon tea in the gathering dusk. Depending on where you live, daylight may abandon you completely.
But November is also the month to come inside. To settle down, take your traveling shoes off, light the fire or lamp or candle and remember all that you have seen and done this year. And not just the highlights. November’s dusk gives us a break from the sunlight and spotlight. Time to invite friends over, look them in the eye, listen to their stories. Listen to your own.

In Longyearbyen, Svalbard, where Eric took this photo, you take your shoes off at the door almost everywhere. This is the entry to the coal mining office, and it made me think of November. Come inside. Put your feet up. Remember all that you have been through this year. You don’t need to look ahead just yet.

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