There’s always that strange moment in early January when the fairy lights have dimmed, the last of the shortbread and chocolate has mysteriously vanished, and suddenly the world expects you to remember how to function again. This past week has felt exactly like that as it’s been a gentle but undeniable thud back into “normal life.”
The Christmas and New Year break is great with it’s slower pace, time to do those things that you’ve kept putting off until you have ‘more time’, and time to recharge in whatever way works for us. Then January arrives and taps you on the shoulder with a to‑do list and reminding you it’s time to return to work.
This week has been long. Not in a dramatic, catastrophic way, just in the way that reminds you this is your normal routine, that you needed a break from when Christmas arrived. Emails, tasks, conversations, catching up on everything that paused while the world was wrapped in tinsel. It’s amazing how quickly the pace picks up again, even when your soul is still somewhere between Boxing Day leftovers and the Bells on Hogmanay.
One of the biggest shifts has been getting back to walking every day. It’s funny how something so simple can feel both grounding and demanding at the same time. Over not just the holidays, but during the whole of December, walks were something which I gradually opted out of. Now after 1 week of being back to my ‘normal life’, they’re part of my daily routine again, a target I gave myself to get some exercise again, and try and lose a bit of weight in the process.
This first week has been a slog. Both my brain and my legs were convinced they’d retired. Hopefully being back in my routine again will provide quiet thinking time, and time to exercise after weeks of overeating, no exercise and late nights.
There’s something oddly comforting about the return to normality, even when it’s exhausting. Back to work, back to band practices, and back to worshiping in person again (this coming weekend), all mean it’s definitely back to reality and normality.
Maybe I just need to remind myself that the gift of this first week back is in remembering that ordinary days are still worth showing up for. Even when they’re long. Even when they’re tiring. Even when you’re still shaking off the glitter of the holidays.
So here I am — back in the flow, slowly finding my stride again. The decorations are packed away, the calendar is filling up, and the daily walk is becoming my normal again. It’s been a tiring week, yes. But it’s also been a week of re‑entry, recalibration, and rediscovery.
Normal life might not sparkle like Christmas lights, but it has its own qualities that I must remind myself as worth the effort of being back in my routine.
The Distinct Dot 