Winter has come and begun its mission in earnest. I develop a new relationship with my senses. It is easy to associate winter with the sensations of the skin, the feel of the cold. There is also something to stimulate the sight. The world is bled of color as everything is covered in white. The skies appear elastic and uninterrupted. But Winter in desert country, Arizona, adds stimulus for other senses.
Scents and sounds are not something I have become accustomed to in Winter. I grew up in the full-blanket snows of our nation's heartland. Winter brings hush, quieted tones. Light crunching under footsteps. And I don't remember much about smells, except maybe that I couldn't smell because my sinuses were blocked. The same could be said for my adult winters in New England.
But Arizona has surprised me. No, not that it has gotten unusually cold. It's that late December and January is the time that citrus starts to ripen in the Phoenix area. I could smell the pungent aroma of citrus blossoms everywhere. It was unusually invigorating. Up here in Sedona, people are burning pine and juniper in their fireplaces. There is this aroma that can only be described as "yummy' because it goes beyond the nose and deep into the abdomen.
And I mentioned sound. Somewhere around here, bees still buzz. Before the snow I could hear them busily humming in droves around rosemary flowers. And despite the cold pallor over the land, I hear a continual chorus of chirps and whistles. Little green and grey birds at play, as if it were Spring. And the voices of the ravens seem to carry further in this weather--they always have something to say.
I did get caught in the Winter blast on the East Coast, and it was really beautiful. I know that people living out West can get whiny about being exposed to that weather. But it really helped me to slow down, take a deep breath, enjoy good company. I think it really helped me approach the New Year with a new perspective. "Beauty is where you find it" is such an apt quote for this situation. If my life of plans and activity feels so derailed by Mother Nature, then there is room for more flexibly in my life. I am pleased to enjoy the flow of these Winter winds. I take a deep breath and walk upon the Earth with love.
