Winter's Quiet

I love quiet. It nourishes my soul. I relish slow pacing; it restores my body. Winter is quiet and slow. Therefore, I love winter although, I sometimes forget this fact. Quiet and slow are not popular in this loud and busy society. Hence, winter is counter-cultural. It provides opportunities for quieting and slowing down. When it's very cold and snowing, the weather encourages us to stay home. In my quiet indoor space, there's room to rest, to reflect, to plant seeds of renewal that will grow in the spring. Last weekend, I got the flu and spent most of my time in bed: sleeping, sipping tea and reading on and off. I have a plan for next year, unprovoked by illness, I'm going to spend a weekend in January in bed. I'll choose the January renewal weekend and put it on the calendar. Then on Friday night, I will gather a pile of books and a basket of teas. When I wake up on Saturday, I'll go downstairs, get my tea and then return to red, to read, to write and to rest. I'll go no further than my feet can carry me. I'll take in no more sensory information than enters my technology-free bedroom. I'll wear warm pajamas and woolen sox. That's my plan, to surrender to winter, to embrace the quiet. After all, I do love it.