WIND CHILL

     It was pretty cold and windy this Northeast morning on the walk I do with my friend Bob. We both used the old runner's trick of putting petroleum jelly on our exposed cheekbones to ward off the wind's bite. And as long as we kept moving briskly, we were fairly warm. Swinging my arms helped also, and at least my inside temperature was pretty comfortable. I said a prayer for all the people who have to work outside all day in this cold.

     The rewards of such a cold walk, I kept telling myself, do outweigh the dread I experience just before going outside to begin it. There's sharing the discomfort which makes it more bearable. I often get to hear (or sometimes tell) a good story. And I get to listen to my own or another's heart a bit through something one of us is passionate about -- from kids and grandkids to politics and so much more.

     There's a smile on both our faces after we're done, inside the house, drinking coffee and eating a pb&j on toast. Two older guys grateful for still being able to move our bodies in challenging conditions, congratulating ourselves just a little for not letting this first cold snap of winter keep us huddled indoors. The warm living room felt pretty sweet after forty-five minutes of the cold wind.

     Many thoughts come up for me. We saw a gorgeous winter morning sunrise sky, all deep blues and magentas splashed across the remnants of the little snowstorm we had yesterday. We were also  blessed to have the clothes and the health to walk comfortably in, and to have that warm house to return to. We're just a few days away from the Winter Solstice, a day our ancient forebears marked as earth holy because it signalled the return of longer days and the promise of spring, sleeping under the cold, but soon to be marching toward warmth again.

     The very sharpness of this cold weather might be, I think, a clearer invitation to feel connection with everything. Feeling the alive energy of a cold morning can be a way of finding something to be grateful for rather than something to fear or only bundle up against.

     Praise cold and its winter gifts.