by Lisa Minney
These days, when most people think of February, they think of Valentines and love. My view of February follows along the same line as the historical the Anglo-Saxons who referred to this month as “Solmoneth” which means, “mud month.”
Mud. I hate mud. I’d rather have below-freezing temperatures, ten inches of snow and no electric for five days than an entire month of mud. Mud is like the flu — if you’re anywhere around it, it gets on you, on all your stuff, and goes with you wherever you go. And very much like the flu – it seems you can’t go anywhere without running into it.
Especially in February, those little things in life that get you down also act like mud. Mean people, struggles, disappointments — these things splash “mud” on your mind, and if you let them, they alter your mood. In that mood, that mud floats around in your brain, coming in contact with your outlook on other situations, spreading the mud on them and getting them dirty as well. Pretty soon, you don’t have a single pair of shoes or a thought in your head that isn’t tainted with that mud.
Around here, it is quite a challenge to keep from getting muddy.
Feed the chickens… Mud.
Take out the trash… Mud.
Walk the dog… Mud.
Get in and out of the car… Mud.
Likewise, it is sometimes difficult to avoid that mental mud, negativity. Gossip, judgement, prejudice, jealousy, insecurity — all of these are mental mud.
As it is with red clay mud, so it is with mental mud. We have to work at keeping that negativity from creeping into our heads and contaminating everything.
Our world, our nation, our state, our community, even our yards — all seem to be soggy with some kind of mud. It is so overwhelming it may seem impossible to not be overcome by it. It is important that we keep trying to avoid it though, because mud sticks to everything it comes in contact with. If we don’t maintain our efforts to keep our boots and our minds mud free, we’ll soon find wallowing around in it.
One of my favorite sayings is, “you can wallow around in the mud, or you can stand up and walk out of it.”
As much as it may seem that mud is everywhere, there are places that are mud free. For mental mud, these mud-free places are found among positive friends and loved ones, discovered in the search for solutions.
As much as it may seem that mud is never ending, there is more time in our lives without mud than with it. The mud did not exist when our world was white and frozen, and the mud will not last past the spring rains into the heat of summer. Red clay may thrive around us forever, but its muddy state is only temporary.
It’s when we stand around in the mud, stomping our feet and keeping it wet with our tears that we become stuck. When we wallow in self-pity, blame our problems on others and respond in anger and fear — we are making more mud.
An integral part of rural life is maintaining the fight against red clay mud. An integral part of a happy life is keeping up the fight against mental mud. This we can do by not wallowing in it with others, leaving the problems of the world at the door, taking responsibility for solving problems ourselves, and endlessly working to focus on the good, not the bad, in life.
Sure, right now it’s muddy. It’s February, and it’s the season of mud. But no matter what the ground hog says, spring is just around the corner, holding the promise of new color, new life, and not-so-soggy ground.
The season of mental mud though, is only as long as we allow it to be. In our minds, we can bring an end to the mud with plans for the future, thoughts of kindness and generosity, and by practicing responsibility and self-reliance.
We all come in contact with mental mud in our lives. Happiness comes from learning to just wash it off. Much like this parable my father kept posted in his office:
“A mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule braying in distress. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his backthe mule would shake it off and step up! This he did, blow after blow. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up!
It wasn’t long before the mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him, all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.”
It occurs to me that dirt in a well would become mud, don’t you think?
Don’t get caught up in all the mud. Just keep mopping and sweeping the best you can. It’ll all come out in the wash.
Lisa Minney is the editor and publisher of Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine. In addition to her columns in the magazine, she blogs on occasion at www.twolanebloggin.com.
