We woke up to our first blanket of snow this morning. The wonderful world of white bringing an insulation not only to the ground, but also to the air. The sound of everything somehow seems softer when there’s snow on the ground.
I love the first snow. There is something utterly peaceful about the wet white stuff that I cling to all winter long.
That first snowfall there is peace, but there is also excitement crested with an adequate layer of chaos. That early morning squeal from my littles when they first look out the window, followed by an hour of getting everyone dressed up. It doesn’t matter that snowsuits and coats were paired together and hung in the closet weeks ago; somehow it is always an event getting everyone out the door.
Slowdown of Winter
I wrote just yesterday how I find myself pushing projects, trying to squeeze in a few wood projects in my garage and outdoor work space before Christmas and even colder weather sets in. All this pushing had me wishing winter would hold off a few more weeks. And I still do half-wish that will be the case – a delayed winter.
But this morning I couldn’t help but feel complete enjoyment of the winter weather.
And it wasn’t the kids and all their magical excitement at, well, everything! From making snow angels to throwing snow to seeing clumps fall off the trees. Kids certainly make winter a wonderland.
Yet this enjoyment I felt wasn’t just from that.
It was the calm that comes from that blanket of snow. The understanding that the rush of harvest and all last-minute preparations have come to an end, and it is time to go inside for the winder.
I am not a housekeeping type of person – and that is not something I say proudly. I certainly hope to improve to make my house more tidy and a harbor of peace to all that enter. And in order to peaceful it needs to be clean.
All that said, I am an outdoor girl. I live for time I get to spend outside. And most days, when given a couple of hours to sneak outside and tend to the garden or work on a new project build, or to stay indoors and fold laundry, do dishes, mop floors, or do any other needed housekeeping chore …. I predominantly choose the great outdoors.
What can I say? I guess I just haven’t grown up quite yet.
But as snow coated the ground, leaving everything wet and under a cloud, I found myself inside. And not just inside tackling new projects (though I will inevitably start a few more in the coming days), I found myself thoroughly enjoying that push indoors that winter has brought.
It is forcing me to focus on caring for my home, which is something that I honestly sometimes forget to do. Though is so much needed.
Now the dishes are done. My kitchen counters are spotless! (which… hasn’t been the case since the hottest days of summer). Floors are swept, carpets vacuumed, and now it’s off to fold the last of the laundry.
Season of Rest
I am a firm believer that the closer we are to the dirt, the more naturally things seem to unfold within ourselves.
Now I realize worded like that, it sounds pretty loopy.
But I think our bodies – our hearts, minds, emotions – all of us, sense changes that come with the weather. We feel it.
We feel different internally in August from how we feel in February. At least, I do. And so do most people I know.
The different daylight hours, temperature differences, weather conditions, and overall seasons pull us toward different tasks. Almost naturally.
In fact, not “almost”, but simply naturally.
We change with the weather. Our lives change with the weather. Or at least, they should.
Just like any plant has a season of growth followed by a season of rest, I think like all other living things, we are meant to be the same. We are meant to push hard during some months of the year – to have our season of “growth”, and then we are meant to rest.
Not to say that all winter we should stay in our jammies and not exercise. We should still push ourselves. And push ourselves daily. But I don’t think our bodies should be pushed as hard in the winter months as they are in the summer months. And your body probably agrees.
In the summer, I can easily work until 10 or 10:30 outside every evening before coming in for the night. And my head doesn’t hit the pillow until close to midnight. Then turn around and be up by 6.
In the winter, I’m watching the clock in the evening waiting for 9 p.m. so that I can go to bed without feeling like I’m hitting the sack too early.
That is my body’s natural push.
Looking forward to Change
I love all the seasons – the hotness of summer, the falling leaves in autumn, briskness in winter, and the breath of life that comes in spring.
As I settle down into this cozy winter season, I am looking forward to a change of pace. A change of focus.
I look forward to moving my work and my focus indoors. To gut clean my house, to sit down at my sewing machine at night and tackle that growing repair pile. And I look forward to shifting my focus from working on all my household builds to writing about them. In the coming months I hope to share with all you what I’ve been up to during the warmer months. To share all the ways I have been trying to build my house into a home, one project at a time.
Then, before I know it, life will change into spring. And I’ll be back outside tackling the garden and probably building new projects.
But for now, I hope you and I can enjoy the peace and coziness that come with those blankets of snow and the change in pace winter brings.
