Atypical December

The last few years, the husband and I have prepared ourselves for Winter Solstice by lighting our home with only candles and oil lamps for the week prior. Typically, this also adds to the needed warmth of this frigid time of year, but this year is very different. We're 10 days away and today's high was nearly 70 degrees. The annual holiday concert in which my choirs perform happened the last 2 nights and for the first time, I didn't wear a coat. I am allowing this unseasonably warm weather to serve as a reminder of the unexpected, unpredictable, nature of life as well as a reassurance that I do not need to attempt to expect or predict. This practice is in direct contradiction to my past mindset in which I thought I needed to steer (push, paddle, battle) at all times, rather this practice leads me to react to the hand nature has dealt, be outside, and appreciate everything. 

Thank you, Kansas, for being an artful, skillful, guru. 

The Cold

I used to hate winter. I used to complain from November to March. 

The last few autumns, I have worked diligently on appreciating the transition to colder weather. The last three while years living in town I walked the neighborhood collecting fallen nuts and leaves and photographing vibrantly colored trees. I trained myself to see the good in cold. Now that we're back in the country, I'm especially glad I learned to appreciate the balance the seasons represent. Interestingly, my career choice places me firmly opposite the dormancy of the flora and most fauna, with an extremely busy winter and a summer vacation. Fortunately, the first ice of this winter fell on a weekend so I was able to emerse  myself in the frosty paradise outside, while a fire crackled in the wood stove welcoming us back in.