This picture is from the Canalside in Scottsdale, Arizona, where I was attending a work conference last winter. I even remember the date on it – it was March 1, 2013. That trip to Arizona was a great experience not only because I got to see and experience a world very different from my own, but because I escaped winter. See, it was 80 degrees and sunny in Scottsdale while I was at the conference. According to the AccuWeather forecast (and social media posts), it was still cold, dreary, and windy here at home. On this particular evening, it was the night before we flew home. We had just finished supper and were wandering around Historic Scottsdale, enjoying the art, sunset, and blue skies. In shirtsleeves and jeans.
If only we could all escape winter like that. But alas, those experiences are rare – few and far between. Given that my conferences have been cut back to once a year in the fall, it’s unlikely that I’ll have an excuse to escape to a warm resort in the winter again soon.
Oh well.
I know this time of year is depressing for a lot of people, and I understand where they’re coming from. I don’t like being cold, or the short days. It’s kind of a downer when you get up in the dark, drive in to work just after sunrise, and are driving home at sunset. I only see the sun from my office window, and if I venture outdoors during my lunch. Add that it’s rained every Saturday since Thanksgiving, and sunshine is a rare commodity around here when it can actually be enjoyed. But still, it’s cold. And is it worth it to venture outdoors if you have to bundle up or be uncomfortable?
You can’t escape winter, but it might be worth it to realize that it’s necessary if you want to see the beauty of spring. The earth needs to rest and restore its energy, and truthfully we probably need the same after the hectic holiday season. We get so used to being out and about, moving and doing, that sometimes we forget that we need to take time out to restore our own energy until we’re knocked out by illness. I’m not surprised that so many people have been getting sick with the flu and sinus infections/ailments these past couple of weeks. We got so used to going and going and going that we forgot to stop and rest. And if we don’t take a cue from nature driving us indoors to rest, our own bodies will do it for us.
Maybe we don’t need to escape winter, at least most of the time. Maybe we need to heed it’s call and take the opportunity to draw in and restore our own energy. I find that I tend to be more productive with creating new writing in the winter, and I read more as well – no doubt due to the fact that yard work and outdoor activities aren’t beckoning. I seem to slow my pace more in the winter, too. You know, the cold, short days may be a bummer, but when I take an honest look around, it’s not so bad. I am, in fact, better off now than I have been in quite a long while. I don’t intend to wish this time away pining for longer days. They will come. For now, why not take each day as it comes, and enjoy what it has to offer?
So perhaps there’s hope. Maybe it’s not really an escape we’re seeking. Maybe it’s a reason to mimic nature and to nurture ourselves, and you can’t do that in a whirlwind of activity. So instead of wishing the season away, why not take one day at a time, and see what it has to offer? It’s better than the self-imposed struggle of lamenting the seasons, anyway.
That’s all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday and a great weekend.
Bye!
If only we could all escape winter like that. But alas, those experiences are rare – few and far between. Given that my conferences have been cut back to once a year in the fall, it’s unlikely that I’ll have an excuse to escape to a warm resort in the winter again soon.
Oh well.
I know this time of year is depressing for a lot of people, and I understand where they’re coming from. I don’t like being cold, or the short days. It’s kind of a downer when you get up in the dark, drive in to work just after sunrise, and are driving home at sunset. I only see the sun from my office window, and if I venture outdoors during my lunch. Add that it’s rained every Saturday since Thanksgiving, and sunshine is a rare commodity around here when it can actually be enjoyed. But still, it’s cold. And is it worth it to venture outdoors if you have to bundle up or be uncomfortable?
You can’t escape winter, but it might be worth it to realize that it’s necessary if you want to see the beauty of spring. The earth needs to rest and restore its energy, and truthfully we probably need the same after the hectic holiday season. We get so used to being out and about, moving and doing, that sometimes we forget that we need to take time out to restore our own energy until we’re knocked out by illness. I’m not surprised that so many people have been getting sick with the flu and sinus infections/ailments these past couple of weeks. We got so used to going and going and going that we forgot to stop and rest. And if we don’t take a cue from nature driving us indoors to rest, our own bodies will do it for us.
Maybe we don’t need to escape winter, at least most of the time. Maybe we need to heed it’s call and take the opportunity to draw in and restore our own energy. I find that I tend to be more productive with creating new writing in the winter, and I read more as well – no doubt due to the fact that yard work and outdoor activities aren’t beckoning. I seem to slow my pace more in the winter, too. You know, the cold, short days may be a bummer, but when I take an honest look around, it’s not so bad. I am, in fact, better off now than I have been in quite a long while. I don’t intend to wish this time away pining for longer days. They will come. For now, why not take each day as it comes, and enjoy what it has to offer?
So perhaps there’s hope. Maybe it’s not really an escape we’re seeking. Maybe it’s a reason to mimic nature and to nurture ourselves, and you can’t do that in a whirlwind of activity. So instead of wishing the season away, why not take one day at a time, and see what it has to offer? It’s better than the self-imposed struggle of lamenting the seasons, anyway.
That’s all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday and a great weekend.
Bye!
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