WINTER REVISITED

I’ve been contemplating winter for awhile now and I’ve concluded that its bad reputation is the result of misunderstanding and perspective. I’m a Michigan girl and as such, can be expected to either love or hate the season. And by love, I mean as in winter sports, skiing, ice skating,snow-shoeing, snowman building, hot chocolate, red cheeks, and the like. And by hate, I mean bitching constantly for at least 4 to 6 months about the upcoming cold weather, being cold, the cold weather and the snow, wearing winter coats, the long miserable season of cold weather, ice and snow, and finally the slow departure of the winter season of cold weather, ice and snow, being cold, winter coats….

I love all of the seasons and in Michigan, they are very distinctly different seasons – no blurred lines, each one with a charm all its own. I suppose I, like many of us, used to be a combination of the love winter/hate winter crowd. I used to number the seasons. Autumn was my favorite – then spring, summer and finally winter. I realized this year that I can’t do that anymore. I see their innate beauty and diversity and how each one imparts something to the others.

Winter is a feast of the senses. It’s vibrant in its stark solitude. It’s restful and designed for respite from the business of the planting, tending and harvesting seasons. It is beautifully elegant in its glittering white cloak and soulfully quiet in demeanor. These days I see winter with different eyes and I love it. It’s a time of rest, reflection and hibernation, staying in bed late reading on weekend mornings. I think winter may be my new muse - I’ve even written a poem about it, posted in the past few weeks.

Here is my list of winter delights, both past and present:

 Hot tea, cheerful warm fires and sparkling snow
 Cozy blankets, warm mittens, soft sweaters and colorful scarves
 Rosy cheeks and catching snowflakes on your tongue
 Christmas lights and goodwill to others
 Steaming bowls of homemade soup and warm bread
 Clouds of warm breath in the frigid air
 Casseroles shared with family and friends
 Birds on the wire keeping warm
 Snow angels
 Hot cider, steaming chestnuts and snowmen with carrot noses and coal eyes.
 Snowballs and sleds
 Frozen lakes dotted with ice shanties
 Warm steamy clouds rising from the city sewers
 Sparkling stars in a cold, clear silent night sky
 Being warm in the cold
 More time to rest
 Reading in bed
 Time to reflect
 Time to plan
 Time to be grateful
 Hibiscus or Paper Whites in a cup to bring thoughts of spring

Winter is lovely.