Winter Renewal
The sun is hitting hard on the window counter at Embassy Coffee. I take off all my layers (two handknit hats, an infinity scarf, a down jacket, my mittens) and put on my sunglasses and I am still so warm. Despite the -19 degrees outside, in here, in the sun, it’s hot and, for one instant, I’m in another place, soaking in the warmth and the light and the energy. My body craves these bright days when the sky is a clear blue, the snow is casting diamonds in the air, and sounds reverberate around me. I prefer them to those grey damp overcast days that can follow each other endlessly and turn me into an hermit.
At our house, no matter the dipping thermometer, Stella, the dog, needs to go out for her walk. Some mornings we manage a run around the block but often we get no further than the backyard. The air is so clear and brisk that it feels like a razor on my face. Stella doesn’t seem to mind; she rolls around in the snow and pokes her nose deep in the snowdrift, sniffing long and hard. She can tell that there’s a world down there, alive and well, under all this white. Our walks in the park also reveal that, though the landscape is snow blanketed and frozen, life is thriving under the ground. Signs of animals and sounds of activity remind me that regeneration is happening below my feet. Though one part of my world is in the deep freeze, another part is living comfortably beneath the snow. Small voles and mice run around in underground tunnels and poke out to find food beneath the layer of snow. Roots store up energy for their upcoming spring break. And above, the hawks and owls are hoping for a chance to swoop down on any unsuspecting rodent peering out.
Sometimes the sharp cold and the layers of snow stop me in my tracks. Nature has a way of always having the last word. When my human body can no longer tolerate the outside temperature, I follow Mother Nature’s advice: stop, rest, renew, gather your energy inward and you will be ready when the next cycle arrives. I accept her cues. I delve into a good book, I sleep more, I look around me more carefully, I start planning for warmer days, I make myself slow down.
When I can’t stand it any longer, I brave the cold and get out to see the friends and frequent the businesses that are open. During the day, that means going to get light bulbs at John Hall’s Hardware, chocolate at The Nut Shoppe and coffee at Embassy. And Wednesday night, many of us gathered at the Goshen Brewing Company for warmth and fellowship. As I sat in their beer hall, warm and cozy, and watched the night fall outside the window, clear and bright, I soaked in the energy and remembered that spring will arrive before I know it. That underground world now dormant will produce flowers and green shoots and new growth, the endless cycle of life.
