Wintering
This morning I woke up in a white and silent world. I couldn't resist the cold whispers of winter and went for a walk with my camera, deeply inhaling the crisp air. I marvelled at the beauty of this winter wonderland, walking under branches heavy loaded with snow. My footsteps crunching softly on snowy paths and reminding me that even in stillness, life moves on.
The bare structures of the trees clearly visible against a backdrop of white. They make the most perfect sketches in black and white.
“Snow was falling,
so much like stars,
filling the dark trees,
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more
than prettiness.”
Mary Oliver
Winter abounds in wonder. Wonder is the dawn, after a snowfall, when the world is silenced by a quiet like no other quiet. Oh, how I love this stillness of winter. The older I get, the more I learn to appreciate the beauty of winter and to embrace its whispering lessons.
For me, winter is a season of deep rest, quiet reflection, and inner renewal. A season of cocooning, slowness and noticing the small wonders of ordinary days. However, there are some days when I really struggle to slow down and accept that it's okay to rest, not to rush in winter and take the time to turn inwards. Even though I'm an introvert, it can be a hard lesson to learn.
These last weeks I've been reflecting about the digital age we live in and how to deal with it in a healthy way. There's so much to say about it so that will probably be for another blogpost :-) But for me, the rest this winter season offers, is a welcoming way to figure some things out on this topic.
“The cold arrives like an old friend,
asking us to slow down and listen.
The trees loosen their grip,
the wind rewrites the landscape,
and the soil hums with quiet activity.
Winter isn't an ending,
it's the season where
the roots gather strength for the return."
Paul Avellino
Under a white blanket the first hellebores are already blooming and adding a touch of color in a whitened world. And the scent of this Viburnum blossom is heavenly (although today I couldn't smell it because of the cold).
The bulbs in the garden are still resting under this blanket of snow, waiting for their time to grow and bloom. I too, feel the need to rest during these deep days of winter. I want to spend this winter season savouring the stillness and quiet sense of calm that accompanies the fresh fallen snow. I think winter is all about cultivating our own inner gardens and preparing them to bloom in spring.
This first month of the year offers us fertile ground for conscious planting. Nothing is visible yet, but everything is preparing. As you might know, growth often begins in darkness. Many seeds even need the cold of winter to germinate and to grow strong roots. The softest moments are often the most transformative, in nature as in our own lives.
May your January be a soft reset and may it offer you a time to pause and breathe. May you embrace the quiet rhythm of winter and listen to its silent whispers of hope and peace!