YES MICHIGAN! THE FEELING'S FOREVER....

This morning we woke up to another day of whirling snowflakes.  We are expecting 2 to 4 inches.  It's so beautiful! 

As I walked from my car into the office, I ran into two different people that complained about the snow.  I smiled and nodded with empathy.  I've tried to hate on Michigan winter. I'm sometimes tempted to join the majority that bitch nonstop about our Midwest cold and snow to, you know, fit in. They generally start as the first autumn leaf floats to the ground and build to a crescendo during February and March. The remnants of this cold weather bitch fest go on into late spring when the temps finally become stable. 

The thing is, I love winter. Just like I love spring, fall and even summer. I like the variation and stark difference of each season. I wouldn't like living in a place where all the seasons were the same, the type of clothing didn't change and the food was mostly summer salads and barbecue. Boring…..

I love sweaters and sweatshirts, scarves and mittens. I mean, barbecue is nice. But so are soup and chili, stews and hot cocoa. I love a brisk bundled up walk on a snowy winter’s day followed by that steaming cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows on top. Or, sitting by an out of doors fire with friends sipping warm mulled wine (I've never actually had warm mulled wine, but I'll bet it's awesome).

I’m all for making the best of it. Kind of like I do when it’s 95 degrees with a heat index of 110 (To be fair, I have air conditioning).  My point is, there is something beautiful everywhere for those with the eyes to see.

I wrote this a few years back. I’m feeling it today.

THE ZEN OF WINTER

"ZEN - enlightenment that is attained through meditation, self-contemplation, and intuition."

I marvel over the quiet beauty that is the season of winter, my muse.

Dignified, regal, elegant in its simplicity, winter is the soul of reflection. It is the contemplative season, ceasing outward activity for tranquil introspection, keeping sweet secrets that will surface in the spring in a vibrant rush of new life.

Winter is the guru of cyclical nature, leading us to slow down, reflect and savor the warmth of hearth and home, family and friends and to forge a mental path for the days to come when time will be stolen by other outdoor activities. Relish the solitude, the chance for brief intervals of hibernation; to recharge and become enlightened.

The Zen of Winter

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.

WINTER

Winter,
oft despised and lamented.
Yet... were the eyes open, 
its majesty displayed
through dormant limbs
filtering gray light, or
dazzling sun and bright blue heavens; 
raising bare hands to the sky,
and casting glittering diamonds on snowbound earth.

Those barren arms stretched forth,
fairly bursting with their secret of life to come.

Winter, a masterpiece in its own right;

Naked yet resplendent in simple elegance. 

Beauty in solitude.

Beauty in frosted silence.

Beauty in quiet reflection,

Winter...

for those with eyes to see.



Kathy Cristoforo  (c)