I have always been a winter hater. I do not ski or engage in any type of winter focused activity. I lived in the far northeast part of the United States one year and wasted no time when all the snow melted in April to pack my things and return South. Nor am I one to get too excited about autumn. You will not catch me posting selfies on social media with my pumpkin spice latte and sweatshirt displaying my favorite football team. I don’t have a favorite football team, and I drink my coffee black. Oh, sure, autumn has its good points. Autumn is lovely with the changing of foliage from green to red, and the cooler breezes are refreshing after the typical Oklahoma summer. Autumn in Oklahoma is nearly as brief as our spring. But the biggest problem with autumn is that winter comes next.
Winters in Oklahoma are what people north of us would call mild. However, the persimmon seeds contained spoons this past fall, foretelling the shoveling of snow this winter. But, today, it is cold and dry outside, and the wind is gusting up to 25 mph. The ground is brown, and the sky is gray. The cedar and pines are the only thing showing green against the nakedness of the oaks and poplars.
I have spent most of my winters being cold and bitter about the cold and bitter. I don’t like to be indoors much, but I also don’t like being cold. I hate bundling up, the heavy confining coat, the winter hat that inevitably slips down my tiny head and covers my eyes, the gloves that impede anything I might want to do with my hands out there. If I drop something small, it stays dropped until spring arrives. The lack of sunshine requires me to take extra vitamin D supplements.
Hating winter is something I unconsciously decided to do many years ago and just never let go. I say that I decided because it isn’t universal. I know many people who love winter. Hating winter became part of my identity like being a night owl or vegan. I had no interest in forming a different opinion of winter. I couldn’t control its arrival, but I could certainly complain about it.
But like waking up in the morning and making decisions on my nutrition, I can change my response to winter.
Last year, after my heart surgery in September forced me to be still for months and recover, I felt a shift. All I could do was look out the window and observe as the winter arrived. I read a lot of books on healing. I made plans for the spring, what I would plant and grow on Sugarberry Slope. I looked forward to our May trip to Ireland. I enjoyed the fires Charles built in our fireplace. I took a lot of naps. I let my body heal. But, not just my body, my mind and soul as well.
Winter is about rest. It is a time for nature to rest and heal. I need to get 6-8 hours of sleep each night to be able to function during the day. Our cells regenerate at night. A person can actually die if they go without sleep for too long. Sleep is critical for us, and it is for nature.
Winter is about relaxing. There aren’t a lot of chores to do right now. We don’t have to mow or prune or harvest. The chickens need tended to, but they are getting their rest as well. They aren’t laying many eggs, and some of the girls have quit completely. Oh, I could put a light in their hen house and create a false summer, but we have saved up eggs for the winter and they need to relax for a few months. The bees have food for the winter months and there isn’t much we can do for them now but pray they make it through.
Winter is about regeneration. While nature sleeps, she is regenerating herself for spring. Seeds are germinating underground, small animals sleep, tree roots expand into the warmth of the earth providing nutrients and strength needs to produce when the weather turns warm.
Winter is about rejoicing. We cannot fully appreciate the brilliant show of spring color and the warm sunshine without first going through the gray of winter. I often wonder about people who live in constantly warm climates. I’ve heard it said that Los Angeles has just too much sunshine and warm weather. How can that be? But I guess too much of a good thing can turn bad.
Winter is about restoration and renewal. Under all those brown leaves, nature is restoring and renewing itself. There is nothing left for me to do but the same. Spring and summer days are full of work and manual labor with planting, maintenance, and harvest. Autumn is chores of clean up and preparation for winter. Spring, summer, and autumn are challenging for the body. Thus, winter must be a time to restore the body and renew my mind. Come late July, I will long for a nap; so, I should take one now while I can.
Without the rest of winter, how can nature show up for us so gloriously in the spring? Without the changing of the seasons, how would I see the Wizard who lives in the Sugarberry tree outside my window? He only full reveals himself in the winter.
While I don’t love winter, I no longer hate it. I can appreciate it for what it is. A time to slow down, rest, relax, refresh, renew, regenerate, and restore. I can respect it for what it brings to the table. I just ask that it doesn’t stay too long.
A lovely message as always
Thank you Mitzi.