As The Wind Blows

Here’s this week’s reflection. I hope it resonates with you and ask that, if you enjoyed, please comment and share on your social media. Heartfelt thanks for all your support!

Keeping the light on for you,

Carol

It’s November. The landscape has donned deeper shades of brown, ochre, and crimson. The trees give final bows as cold winds jar remaining foliage from nearly bare branches. Deer rut, small animals scurry, birds head south, all in preparation for change. Old Man Winter knocks loudly. Everything settles in for a seasonal nap. We humans head indoors to the warmth of home and crackling fireplaces.

For many, November is a time of angst as winter bears down; the harsh weather, the looming holiday season,  grayer days and longer nights. I, on the other hand, revel in its windblown omen. The northern chill, while bracing and sometimes brutal, paradoxically signals rest, and with it, a shift to tending to internal doings. Whether indoor projects or quiet reflection, home keeping and self-keeping often occur in tandem; each helping the other toward balance. What was once a maddening swirl of leaves and activity is now, thankfully, grounded and at rest. The dust, if you will, has settled, opening time and headspace for some of our most critical work.

As daylight wanes and winds begin to howl, Mother Nature’s perceived fury, however, is anything but. It’s simply her familiar stern reminder to get one’s “house” in order. And while firm, her mandate is guided by benevolence. She’s the queen of tough love, and she unleashes those maternal powers as winter sets in. 

We are wise to heed Mother Nature’s calling. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I lean heavily into seasonal shifts. They provide perspective, balance, structure, and sometimes reckoning, forcing us to come to terms with life and our perceptions of it. Living through four seasons helps me think outside the proverbial box, contemplating “what if” and “who’d have thought?” It’s entertaining and horrifying, liberating and sobering, and always reveals new paths forward. November doesn’t disappoint; in fact, it inspires.

Another tenet of harvest season is that of gratitude; the giving of thanks for things that went well, as well as knowledge and lessons learned from things that didn’t.  The year’s closing isn’t always happy, yet it’s what we take away from this that adds value to our lives, provided one is capable of (necessary) inward focus. We reap what we sow and, as a northerly wind not-so-kindly attests, Mother Nature’s temper can, and will sometimes, pierce the heart. Tough love is real, and no one knows this better than Earth’s Chief Maternal Officer.

As the wind blows, I sink deeper into relationships, books, and the rhythm of nesting. My light within burns brighter. My soul bathes in the warm light of myriad candles. The Scandinavians have it right when they cultivate “the cozy,” or hygge as they say. They know all too well how lengthy the dark season can be, choosing to celebrate its gifts – and unexpected joy.

November offers both turbulence AND peace. The putting to bed of past situational gardens, coming to terms with things as they have unfolded, and the invitation to settle in for winter’s rest while planning new tillage for the coming year. It’s worth the dirt under your nails, just ask Mother Nature.  

My hope for all of us this November is for the love and warmth of connection. That we are able to appreciate the year’s blessings, learn from mistakes with a humbly open mind, and pay some goodness forward. That we entertain new ideas as they blow, like gusts through bare branches, throughout our unencumbered consciousness, perhaps inviting a few to take hold. That we have time to sit in quiet gratitude for everything – even those circumstances that made us uncomfortable, for these are where solid growth happens. Above all, may we find peace.

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours, and as always, I’m eternally grateful for your support and readership.

With sincere gratitude,

Carol