[Seasons: Winter V]
Winter is not without work.
Currently one son is tapping Big Leaf Maples for syrup. That must happen in the winter. I’m busy clearing forest, not for aesthetic purposes, but because winter is the time for felling timber so it can be split and stored this summer and seasoned by next winter. And everyone is busy giving extra care to animals that need support when conditions are harsh.
While work doesn’t cease in the winter, it is concentrated on a singular target: heat. (Even the syrup is mere water until heat is used to reduce it 50:1.)
There are winter seasons in life that are cold too, when all our work and attention must be given to finding warmth. When our efforts are reduced to such a simple, mundane activity as finding heat to survive, it can feel isolating—like we’re looking out from our own personal snow globe. Others appear stable while we feel vulnerable, huddled in our down overcoat and shivering. Others are smiling while our hearts are heavy and we're experiencing exhaustion.
Winter is isolating.
Despite what it looks like from inside your snow globe, everyone winters. We’re all experience exhaustion and are looking for warmth. (And, yes, we all occasionally put on shorts and sunglasses and pretend like we’re not shivering.)
Everyone has seasons where they can literally do only ONE thing. It’s not selfish. Nor is it weak. It’s winter.
