So it was -32 C this morning – pretty cold by any standard!  But I did not feel it.  In my mind I was sitting out on the deck of ‘our’ chalet at Escape3Points by the ocean in Ghana.  I can hear the ocean and feel the balmy warmth of the morning.  I watched the birds looking for crumbs from our breakfast.  And not long after, the puppies came to visit.

I’m marveling at the power of my mind.  It is not that these images in my mind help me ‘make it through’ the winter, for I truly love the season.  I love the whiteness/brightness of the snow.  I love the crispness of the cold winter air.  I feel my best on those cold, cold still January days when the sun is shining so bright and I’m purring in the warmth of my sun room.

Don’t get me wrong, though.  I get my share of cabin fever.  A long stretch of gloomy winter days does me in.  It makes me feel like I’m struggling, struggling and not getting anywhere.  But maybe that is just another cycle of life.  Wouldn’t it be boring if we’re happy and bubbly all the time?  Wouldn’t we look like a commercial for Pepsodent toothpaste or Spearmint gum with our shiny toothy smiles?  Oh, how bland!

There are difficult days in the heat of summer or on a tropical island, I am sure.  But I don’t think anyone dare whisper any hint of it.  Funny.  So, of course, it has made me feel worse when I get those terrible blues in the summer, when all was so perfect and everyone so happy….school was out and everyone was on vacation.  Hmmmm.  I know better now.  I see clearer now.

Now, I embrace whatever season that it is.  Each has its beauty.  Each has its faults.  I embrace wherever I am in the moment.  Like the seasons, each place has its own beauty and detractors.  Beauty and value are in the eyes of the beholder.  And drama exist everywhere, for we are the players.  I embrace all the times I’ve been in, for it is from these times that I learn and grow and love and live.