I walked today almost alone,– just the dogs and me– in circles, with my back to the wind down on the beach, and then into the wind in protected woods. I did this for an hour in between work or chores or choices or whatever it is I do all day– looping, marching, and opening my eyes and lungs into the bright hustle of the frozen windy beach, and then more slowly, in the silent woods– well, except for the wind, and the squeak of my boots on the snow, a small plane bouncing into the northerly toward the airport, a car out on the road, just one, in an hour. A pair of eagles whistling.
It’s the slow down cold season, outside anyway.
Inside all is chaos. School’s out, the ferry made it from Juneau today carrying friends and family both home and away for the holidays. How many days ‘til Christmas? I need a turkey! Maybe a ham too. How many people are coming for dinner ? The family is seventeen, if I’m counting properly, but there are friends, in-laws. I’m never sure until the day before who exactly will show up. Luckily, everyone brings food, but I do have to plan ahead enough to answer when they call and ask: What time is dinner and what can I bring? Yes, it is the preparation for the celebration time, — and almost solstice and the forecast calls for stronger winds and colder temperatures thru Monday. There’s an extreme cold warning.
But, O the Sun! It is very good for the soul and the body this time of year. The natural light keeps the inner darkness at bay. Shadows and light, you can’t have one without the other. So I walked the beach-woods loop until the sun dropped behind the mountains (about 12:50 by my old watch with the hands, the kind that ticks )—
But here’s the thing I meant to tell you—that low, limited bright sun is so welcome, but it’s the shadows it casts that grab my attention, the beautiful shadows on the snow – and you can only see them once year, in coldest December, and only in lucky years when skies are clear.
Also, since it is the last weekend before Christmas, here is a blessing “For Celebration” from John O’Donohue to help put you in a mind to celebrate:
