I mean seriously - look at that!? This pic was taken a couple of Sundays ago at my parents' lake home on Loon Lake, WA. Family and friends skating, a pick-up game of hockey, and dogs chasing pucks all around. I love the balance of structure and chaos that winter brings. There is school, so life is pretty structured (at least for a teacher lady like me), but there is also the chaotic feeling that the weather causes us to experience. For instance: Will it snow? Will we have school? Ohp! Two weeks off for Christmas and New Years! Ohp! Two Mondays off for MLK and the Presidents! I'm okay with it. Also - I thankfully live in a warm home with warm clothes and plenty of warm food. Many do not. That is why winter also pushes us to be more giving and forgiving of others. Did I mention -BAM- the beginning of a new year is in the middle of this lovely season as well? What a fresh start, a new beginning, a chance to re-define yourself. Right in the midst of cold, snow, wind, and ice. The juxtaposition of death and new life is held in perfect balance during the winter season. Cold? Throw on a scarf. Hot? Take off your top layer. I love it. Did I also mention one of my favorite classic novels is set in the winter season? Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is one of my faves. I read it as a senior in AP English, and I think I'm quite due to read it again. I leave you with a quote from the novel:
"When I had been there a little longer, and had seen this phase of crystal clearness followed by long stretches of sunless cold; when the storms of February had pitched their white tents about the devoted village and the wild cavalry of March winds had charged down to their support; I began to understand why Starkfield emerged from its six months’ siege like a starved garrison capitulating without quarter" (Wharton).
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