After living somewhere with winter months, I have long joked that I tend to hibernate in the winter. I went out, for the most part, when I needed to be out (like walking to work or to the thankfully nearby grocery store). That’s not to say that I didn’t voluntarily go outside for other things: like exploring the quiet magic of a large snowfall.
A snowfall many years ago in DC.
Now that I’m back in the south, I get to experience winter the way I’ve learned I like it: in short spurts. But the actual liking of even that depends on what the activity I need to do outside in the cold. Getting in my car to run errands or appointments, not so much. By the time my car warms up, I feel like I’m nearly at my destination. But being out to go do things on my time because I want to do them? I’m in! Exploring the rare accumulating snowfall like North Texas had in the early part of January, making my way to yoga knowing I’m in for an hour of movement in a warm studio (both temperature and community)? Yes, please.
There are a few things that, while still requiring to be outside, are still cozy. It’s cozy to bundle up to walk in the snow and hear that soft crunch underfoot. Even more so when maybe there’s an anticipation of a crackling fire or a steaming cup of coffee or hot chocolate to great me when I return. Maybe a thick blanket and a good book? Always.
While I may not like extended cold spells, I like cozy.
I lean into the coziness inside when winter rages – or even wafts – outside my window. If snow is coming, I’ll carefully curate my to-be-read (TBR) stack to cue up something fun or see if I may need another book for the span of time I’ll mostly be inside. I’ll flip through my cookbooks looking for a warm soup or some sort of cheesy pasta bake to make and have on hand for a few days. And how are my hot chocolate and tea stashes doing?
Things quiet in nature, resting. From the trees to the bears and, I’ve recently learned, to some types of bees. I’ve found it’s good for us to rest too. To recharge. So I take a page from nature and allow myself to enjoy this time of recharging. It can also be a great time for dreaming, thinking on those intentions and goals for the year – what do I really want them to look like?
As I finished up this draft, we were anticipating another few days of low temps (and possibly – dare I say it – a little more snow!). Time to go prep that soup recipe and dig into my book stash.
