Wintering

Up at 5:30 a.m. As is my morning ritual for the past 6 weeks, I make my way to the kitchen. On an empty stomach I take my Deep Immune and then, Mullein tincture in a crystal shot glass with bit of water. I heat the purified water in a pot on the stove, add a drop or two of Eucalyptus oil and carefully steam my tight lungs.

The furnace has been blasting with the -26 overnight temperature which I often find too stuffy and warm. Not so, today. On this dark, cold morning I am wintering - a fitting term for this hunkering down passage of my life (from Katherine May’s book, “Wintering.”) I feel a need to protect this wintering time to regain my full energy, lung capacity, digestive health which is proceeding much more slowly than I expected or hoped. This subzero morning, before the rest of the house is up, I cherish the dark and warmth wrapping me and my world in a sense of OK-ness (despite challenges.)

I sit at my favorite morning spot before my old, solid cherry wood writing desk – much stained and battered. Faithfully I have written here for decades. I snuggle into the warmth and comfort of the fleece blanket pinned to my office chair, protecting it from wear. Another small fleece warms my legs. My smoothie (loaded with healing therapies and good food) plus a perfectly ground and brewed coffee, kept hot in travel mug, complete my morning joy as I come to this page... this page within my journal that daily offers me healing…

Read in Season of Wonder article about unexpected help on my healing path.

Likely most of us could do with more time “Wintering,” honoring our need to rest and restore our precious selves.