We are only about two weeks into the new year and already Mother Nature has given us a taste of real winter weather. Temperatures dropped into the single digits last week and the ground is frozen as hard as a rock. A biting wind makes going outdoors disagreeable most days.
Jim did get a little job finished last Thursday, working inside a friend's garage, but most of his work is outdoors, and he gets further behind all the time.
Perhaps we should just relax and go with the flow. Gladys Taber, in "The Book of Stillmeadow," noted that we don't have much to say about what the new year will bring. She said she learned to just go on the best she could and be thankful for whatever she had. After all, haven't we often been told that true contentment is not in getting what we want but in wanting what we have?
Bestselling author John Gray suggests that if we turn each day over to God, then our whole journey becomes much easier.
"Turning it over to God means remembering that you don't have to do it all," he says, "just as you don't have to get out and push the car. All you have to do is know how to drive. We still have to do our best, but it is much easier when we know and trust that extra power is already there."
January is a season of rest. Almost everything in nature is asleep this month and storing up strength for the added activity that comes with spring. Many of the animals are dozing away the winter deep in their burrows under rocks, in logs or maybe nests in the trees where squirrels and deer mice go. A strange and wonderful thing is this winter sleep they call hibernation.
We humans too have a somewhat natural tendency to hibernate at this time of year. We have less light and therefore less energy. We're worn out from all the end-of-year activities and spring is too far away to envision. We can feel more energetic by getting more sleep. The animals set a pattern for us. Surveys show that most of us are tired in winter, making us more vulnerable to colds and flu. If we go to bed earlier on a regular basis, we'll feel better able to start our day when the alarm sounds in the morning.
We can enjoy winter by relishing the cozy pleasures of the season. It's the perfect time of year to sit at home by the fire reading a good book. We can throw a soft afghan over our knees for comfort and warmth and sip a cup of strong coffee or herbal tea to perk us up. Jim and I also enjoy watching old westerns or the many sports teams on TV.
Compared to the colorful palettes of spring, summer and fall, the winter landscape may look a little drab. We can cheer ourselves by wearing bright colors. We can enliven our homes by starting a few narcissus bulbs in sand and encouraging them to bloom. We can purchase an amaryllis or orange plant, maybe even splurge for an occasional bouquet of fresh flowers.
Fresh flowers in the dark of winter bring memories of gardens and prompt hopes of an early spring. Or, if we don't have real flowers, we can always gaze at the many blossoms in some of the seed catalogs that have already arrived.
We have had a few outings this month. Our quilt class gathered on the third for a lovely meal at Cleta Whitman's home and collected items to benefit the women's shelter. The staff of the area weekly newspapers met in Springdale last week and our publisher treated us to pizza. Then Jim and I enjoyed an evening out on Friday.
When we have eaten at home, we've relished some nourishing soups. We made a bean and barley soup one evening and, a couple of days later, Jim prepared a pot of minestrone while I was gone to a meeting. We're looking forward to cooking the pinto beans with Cajun seasoning friends brought us from their recent trip to Louisiana.
Susan Holland is a reporter for the Westside Eagle Observer. She may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 01/14/2015