We are officially three weeks away from winter; but with an expected high of only 36°F today, we are already in the throes of its relentless cold. To many people, 36°F is not that cold. Those who revel in winter sports and whose core temperatures hover slightly higher than normal, are not deterred by the cold; but for the gardener, the endlessly frigid days are bleak. My cat refuses to accompany me now when I go out to let the chickens out of their coop in the mornings, or tuck them in at night. In fact, most domestic animals that have been provided an indoor life, prefer our creature comforts, when given a choice. Cold weather has never agreed with me and the only thing I love more than immersing myself in a warm bath, is feeling the warmth of the sun on my back – or on my front or legs or arms. Now that I am old, I find that I must wrap my lower half in a blanket, whenever I am sitting for a period of time.
Our sun, like our planet, has been under appreciated. It is often taken for granted; but every living thing on our Earth would cease to exist if our sun were to burn itself out. It is easy to overlook the miracle of life when we are caught up in doing, rather than being. The fact that we exist at all, is a miracle. Still, many humans believe themselves to be the center of the universe. They wish to control their own world and everyone else’s world. They live in illusion, causing themselves and others unnecessary suffering. When we learn, as Eckhart Tolle reminds us, to “accept the unacceptable”, we give up the need to control. Instead of trying to remove the iceberg that is blocking our way, we can simply move aside and allow the sun to melt obstacles that stand in our path. Ralph Waldo Emerson advised, “Let us take our bloated nothingness out of the path of the divine circuits”. All we need to do is to look up at our beautiful, amazing sun, and give thanks.
