Take a breath.
Close your eyes.
Exhale.
Listen.
In the north country this year
we’ve had long-lasting cold temperatures.
We’re tough, we manage.
We suit up and go on with our days.
It’s fine, if a little wearying –
the weight of all that we wear.
Perhaps you’ve noticed the change in light
the angle of the sun
how daylight is slowly lengthening.
But many bemoan the seemingly unending cold,
claiming spring is nowhere in sight.
Seeking solace– or perhaps disappointment–
in a groundhog’s assessment.
Take a breath.
Close your eyes.
Exhale.
Listen.
What do you notice?
The strength of the sun on your face
where weeks ago it offered little in the way of warmth?
What do you hear?
Chickadees singing boisterously, replacing hushed winter songs?
Cardinals switching to their spring melodies?
Look at tracks in the snow
where our Wild cousins have ventured near.
See how they are on the move
kicking up their heels.
Patterns and behaviors changing
as they ready for little ones soon to come.
There is more to the story
than the cold against our cheeks.
There is always movement, change,
energy swirling about us.
To notice.
To stay open.
To lean in.
To sense the sacred within and without.
To be.
To trust.
Perhaps that is all and enough
on this Wild journey we share.
Take a breath.
Close your eyes.
Exhale.
Listen.
