Thinking Out Loud
Home Sweet Home

January 12, 2014
By: Diane Szczepanski

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.
Edith Stilwell

I've been a bit of a disgruntled summer lover of late.

The ferociousness of this season has been taking it's toll on me. I haven't been taking my usual walks this winter. The icy, crusty sidewalks are particularly hazardous for the brisk pace I usually employ, which is known as 'breakneck speed'.

Not wanting a self-fulfilling prophecy, I've been breaking out DVD's and using my living room as a gym, in an attempt to stay on some type of home exercise regimen. Which is not all bad, but sometimes amounts to nothing more than vigorous stretching, due to the proximity of the fish tank and the coffee table.

I also haven't been doing my usual amount of socializing either. The gusty winds and frigid temperatures just haven't appealed to my sense of wanting to get out and about as I usually do.

After a few moments of cabin fever and feeling slightly snarly to my fellow man, I decided enough was enough and I needed to come to peace with this frozen tundra and make the next few months about reflection, rejuvenation and focusing on some creative projects that have been gathering dust.

What I've found surprisingly, is a peacefulness to the stillness. A reprieve from the rat race and fast pace and constant forward motion.

I have found that my little abode is actually a pretty comfortable winter retreat and a place I can wait out below zero wind chills. I've found new pleasures to enjoy and a sense of patience while Mother Nature does her thing.

The small comforts of home, a soft throw, worn slippers, the dancing light of a candle, warm the soul, even when our bones are chilled.

Hunkering down in our little personal nests with a hot tea and thoughtful book during nature's deep freeze, may be the universe's way of showing us how to slow down and appreciate our own cozy cocoon we've built.

For that reason alone, maybe winter isn't so bad after all...