Wintering

It’s mid-December and winter has boldly announced its wild, snowy entrance. It is that time when I consider how I will approach the advent of winter in my mind, heart, and body. “I recognized winter. I saw it coming (a mile off, since you ask), and I looked it in the eye. I greeted it and let it in.” Katherine May, in her book Wintering, explores the idea of welcoming winter with open hearts, allowing it to enter our life, our inner self, even savoring it. She explores how winter has historically been a time to slow down, reflect on life, restore the body after the busy growing and harvesting time, and prepare for the coming seasons.  

As we flirt with the season of winter in the snowy midwest, with the solstice right around the corner, daylight hours are at their shortest, snow is falling, and cold descends upon the land.  There can be a tendency to tense our muscles, to shiver and grimace as we brace for the constant cold. A morning walk or workout requires steely determination or else we find ourselves so easily talking ourselves out of bundling up and stepping out onto what we fully imagine as the chilly tundra. A cup of something warm and an interesting book or flickering screen often beckon us to hunker down, stay indoors, and savor the cozyness of our inside spaces. Nothing wrong with these choices for retreat. They each have their time and place.

Yet, when we respond to the call of winter with a walk out in nature, we choose to draw on other gifts the wintry world has to offer. With crunchy snow underfoot and the striking geometrics of the vertical brown and gray tree trunks against skies of blue and white, we experience the cooling, refreshing breaths of fresh air, often just what we need to reset. The term wintering has many connotations, including author May’s exploration of a time to retreat and recover, to reflect, and to set intentions. Slowly and intentionally engaging in the beauty, rest, and freshness of the bounty of nature in the winter months awakens our imagination. Fully noticing the temperatures and textures, the sights, sounds, and smells of the season, helps our hearts feel alive and brings reward beyond measure.