Winter and Summer

[Blessed2]

I like summer because when all the water is liquid and the trees are green and the bugs fly around, nature and the world seems alive and dynamic. There is a feeling of interconnectedness to it all, like the nature as whole is one living being.

 

But I don't feel the same in winters. When the lakes are frozen and everything is covered in snow, it all seems dead and kind of meaningless, frozen and paused. I lose the vision of a living nature. Winter feels pointless. I'm not "taking it in" my life. I see winter as lesser, not including it in life.

 

It's a shame to feel this way, since there is a lot of beautiful nature (and space) up north. But the short summers and long & dark winters make me feel like I couldn't live there. It's a bit like sometimes people feel like all life is happening in some big city like Paris or New York, and they experience this sort of FOMO or pointlessness in more remote areas or smaller cities.

 

Any thoughts to share in regard to this subject? Do you see aliveness in winter and frozen lakes?

[Mandy]

I live where the trees don't leaf out until well into May, and the trees lose their leaves over the course of October so it's a short season. Summer is sensual, toes in the sand, swimming in the ocean, brilliant colors, fresh foods, etc, nothing between you and it. The key to loving winter is to have the same attitude and not shirk because of cold or dark or apparent sameness and drop the resistance to it. Win Hoff exercises help drop the resistance many feel to cold. Even so, no need to walk around in no clothes in January, you can put on the layers of protection from nature without putting on the psychological ones too. I love how intense cold temperatures feel, it's a kind of energy or power that's really unique. If it 20 below or more I love going out for just a minute, it feels almost like a vacuum, it's unreal. The stars are the best enjoyed in the colder months because it's darker more of the time. It's also a great time for undistracted creative work, reflection and deep rest. There are no extremely loud ATVs driving by my house at 12AM every night. 😆

My daughter just got an entire nest of leeches on her foot at the lake today and there is bear poop all over the trails I walk on so I have to clap and sing the whole time because I don't want to surprise one. There are plenty of mosquitoes and horseflies and minges so there's definitely ups and downs to every season. Summer is definitely teeming with life. 😂 You can't make one part of a cycle better than the rest, the whole thing is inseparable.