Talking with a friend tonight about being constantly hungry. I’ve been eating a lot lately. Like, a lot. I keep wondering if I’m going diabetic. Like, am I eating so much that my stomach is just constantly dumping to make room for more?
I mentioned that it’s just not cold enough for my body to behave like this. It doesn’t feel like winter here in Austin. I mean, goddamn, it’s 60F right now at midnight:thirty, 3 days before Christmas. This is not winter.
But it is Solstice. My buddy mentioned that appetite is tied to circadian rhythms, and with the longer nights and shorter days, we’re being triggered to stuff our faces to face the cold months ahead. So I get it. I see that. There are so many cultural festivals and practices that involve food and companionship during these dark nights, and there’s a reason for it.
The only thing that’s saving me from Seasonal Affective Disorder is that I work in front of a large picture window overlooking the Hill Country. The UV coating, though, filters out most of the benefit of sunlight, but I do see it. But my sleep schedule is shifted, so I lose half the daylight by the time I arrive to work, and then I leave the office 3 hours after sunset. It’s a bop.
But winter just doesn’t feel right here. I feel out of step with the change of the seasons. And I’m getting more disconnected thanks to climate change. Sixty degrees!
Should I move to a place that actually experiences seasons? I think so, yes. I miss knowing my place on the calendar (and sometimes I miss Arkansas for only this reason). But if so, how soon? And where?