I’ve been in a bit of a funk. While it’s not unusual for energy and emotions to ebb and flow, this time seems different. In the past, I would reach deep down and pull myself by the bootstraps and in a day or two I was back to my “normal” self.

It’s been more than a day or two, more like a week or two. My passion for life has morphed into routine. My energy has been depleted. Whatever’s left of my mental acuity has been dulled. I am quite content being in my cave doing nothing. I haven’t been posting, except for Five Minute Friday … and even those posts in retrospect seem flat and uninspiring.

The question is why. Why am I down? Why am I exhausted after doing nothing? Why? Why? Why?

I’ve been giving it some thought {which I guess is a step in the right direction}. I thought it might just be February — you know, that Vitamin D deficiency thing. But, even though it has been cold and snowy, the sun in Maine when it shows up is very, very bright and somewhat therapeutic. As it turns out, the sun is vital to keeping a smile on your face. Vitamin D is often referred to as the sunshine vitamin because it is activated in your skin by sunlight. If you live in a place that sees less sunlight than global averages, the lack of light could literally kill your mood. According to the Vitamin D Council, this essential nutrient helps your brain’s neurotransmitters produce serotonin, which affects our feelings of happiness. Studies have linked low levels of vitamin D with episodes of depression. So, while it may be a contributing factor, I’m not sure it’s the root cause.

It could be lack of sleep. I discounted that early because typically, I get six to eight hours of night sleep, plus many short “naps”, especially when I’m vegetating. Besides, I do sleep rather soundly {although there usually is a potty wake up sometime during the night}. It literally takes me about 10 seconds to fall back asleep, and I have been known to dream quite a bit. I will admit, however, that my dreams have tended to be more ordinary than exciting. The other night, for example, I dreamt I was editing a page of a technical manual … word for word, paragraph by paragraph until I turned the page and said “This is stupid” and woke up.

That led me to think about the status of my book. Maybe I’m in that “in between” stage of completion and anticipation/anxiety of publishing and launch. Perhaps that’s the silent stressor that has led me to the peanut butter jar in the cave pantry more frequently than usual.

Then I theorized it’s just me. I’ve met a lot of people here in Maine, but unless I’m invited into a conversation or event, I typically haven’t engaged myself. Then again, that’s pretty much been my life over the past 70 years. Scratch that.

Lifestyle — or lack of it — could be the culprit. I don’t watch a lot of television, but I lately have been revisiting movies in our collection. I will say last night’s choice — Valentine’s Day — of Ghost might not have been the wisest choice given my mood.

But that also reminded me I have been watching more news programming, which in itself is depressing. Add to it the social commentary on social media. I find myself getting angry at the narrowmindedness of some individuals and the partisan snarks at every turn. Watching a press briefing or congressional hearing simply infuriates me. Same questions over and over. Same answers over and over. Same interpretations over and over. Note to self: Turn off the news programming again.

And there is music. I always have music on, but I have to be careful what I listen to. Oldies flood back so many memories — good and bad. Country is a slice of life, but not always a positive slice. Christian often makes me want to pine beyond my earthly journey. Classical generally soothes me … into sleep.

Last night, however, I thought I found the reason for my current season — biorhythms. Sure enough, when I checked my chart this morning, every indicator except “intellectual” was on a downward cycle, and my emotional, intuition, spiritual and aesthetic markers were under water.

No wonder I’m zapped! Blame it on my biorhythm!

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. –Vidal Sassoon