Grey Days

Winter comes with its own reflective mood.

The term ‘wintering’ has long been used referring simply to how animals survive the cold season. But as it always does, a metaphor developed for the human experience, meaning an intentional time of rest and rumination for us two-legged mammals.

As one source says, “The concept of ‘wintering’ refers to a deliberate period of retreat, conservation, and adaptation during a difficult or low-energy season, whether that season is literal, seasonal, or metaphorical. At its core, wintering recognizes that rest, slowing down, and protection are necessary for survival and renewal—not signs of failure or weakness.”

But metaphorically speaking, the seasons picture our whole lives. As I enter the winter of my life I find the days can be grey. They take on a different tone. It’s good but you have to dig deeper to find the goodness. When you do it’s more precious than ever … Days with frustrations and limitations, days of gratitude and wonder. Days when you feel pretty good about life and days when regrets come to visit for a while. Cold days lingering over hot tea. Days of sunshine and sometimes freezing rain!    

I came across this quote many years ago (I collect quotes).

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” John Ruskin

I really want to be like that! But I tend to grumble about the weather more often than not.  

You do know we Canadians aren’t nearly as hardy as our forefathers! We are softer, more used to convenience, more sheltered from the harsher aspects of nature.

So it really is important to cultivate the right attitude about our circumstances. It’s essential to aging well because getting older is all about adjusting. You spend the bulk of your life learning how to do things that you somewhat suddenly find yourself unable to do. And you have to be OK with that… agility … mobility …   

Is there a way to navigate it well? I think learning to focus on what we have instead of what we don’t have cultivates gratitude in our hearts and that brings joy to our lives. When our focus is on what we don’t have, not only aren’t we being thankful for what we do have, but we’re not enjoying those things either because we are too preoccupied with the things we are missing!

Joy springs out of gratitude and that only grows in grace.

PSALM 100

A Psalm for giving thanks.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.