27 FEBRUARY 2023 SUNNY MONDAY

This has been one of the longest and coldest winters in my recent memory. We never actually had a fall as it went from hot and dry to cold and dry. Then we suddenly had snowstorm after snowstorm after snowstorm. There have been two mornings when I woke up to minus twenty degrees fahrenheit. The first time resulted in a burst water pipe in my laundry room. Even those people who have lived here for most of their lives are telling me that they are tired of the wind and the cold, and this seemingly endless winter. Looking ahead at the weather predictions for the next two weeks promises no hope of temperatures reaching out of the forties.

This is where it takes a great deal of determination to accept the situation as it is. Obviously, there is nothing I can do about the weather and I am stuck here for the time being. The morning sun; however, is streaming through my window. I feel myself leaning into it in the same way my plants reach for the light. I know that winter will pass. I know that spring will come. So how do I stay rooted in the present moment? Eckart Tolle tells us that when we come to accept the unacceptable, we will find peace.

It is Monday morning. Many people dislike Monday’s, but I like that they are a beginning. I like to anticipate the good things that may come to pass by the end of the week. When I bask in the warmth of the sunlit rays coming through the window, I know that each day is becoming a tad bit longer. I can pick up my seed catalogs and dream of the flowers I hope to grow in the coming months. I look forward to different bird species flying north on migration. Yes, it is Monday and it is cold and windy and frankly, quite miserable outdoors; but I am grateful for the roof over my head, for the heat that warms my little house, and for a hot bath that helps my old bones to endure. Mostly, I am grateful for the hope in my heart and the endless possibilities that are moving towards me one day at a time.