In Wisconsin, we’ve turned cold, had a snow storm (or several) and had our first real slow down for the winter.  I’ve heard nothing but complaints about how we haven’t had cold weather like this since the 1800s.  I work with several people who are from the south and they are questioning why they moved to Wisconsin. 

It is easy to get wrapped up in the complaining and the whining about how bad it is.  With arthritis in every joint in my body, the cold is hard to deal with as it makes me ache.  The slippery sidewalks and roads can be treacherous.  It isn’t fun to drive down the road following someone who can’t drive in the snow or worse to skid around the road rather than driving down it.

This morning I backed out of my garage into a gray morning.  I cringed because I know the people I work with and they will grumble about the gray days of November.  I look at the day and it is unrelieved gray.  Gray sky, gray haze, white/gray land.  Oddly enough, I find myself smiling as I’m looking at the grayness of the day.  The trees area incredibly beautiful.  Every branch down to the smallest one is outlined in white, the dark wood of the bark contrasts with the stark white on each limb.  A line of white from snow being blown against the tree is a testament to the strength and solidity of the trees.  It reminds me that even during times of turmoil, I can stand strong against the difficulties. 

The beauty of the day moves me, refreshes me even as the bite of the wind whips my hood off my head and sends shivers through me.  The dark green of the evergreen trees contrasts with the stark white of the snow dumped on our landscape.  The white seems like a blanket snuggled over the tree helping it to rest during the cold days of winter. 

The dark of the moon, the dark times of the year are all meant for us to bring our focus from outside ourselves to within.  We slow down – literally and figuratively.  Whether we spend the evening by the fire (one of my favorite things) or we’re baking cookies (and other goodies), or just staying home out of the weather, we slow down.  The weather helps us to slow down.  When Mother Nature is dumping a foot of snow on the ground, you stop to say – do I really need to go shopping or visiting or anywhere?

Winter may seem like a homogenous season with all the gray and white but it isn’t.  There are undertones of other colors.  These undertones, whether in the landscape or in ourselves, help to add texture and flavor to the landscape and our lives.  Taking the time to cuddle in – out of the cold – allows me to regenerate my energy and my balance.  I take the time to breathe and consider where I’ve been, what the year has held, where I want to go, and a whole lot of other questions. 

When the winter whiners come out, I remind them (and myself) that it may be cold but that is what is to be expected in November (December, January, February, March – and sometimes more) in Wisconsin.