Let it snow!

Today is the aftermath of a big snowstorm - or actually, I think it is the calm between two big snowstorms. Over the next 24 hours 40-60 cm will fall on my city. I know all this snow will be difficult for many folks but I am happy that it is finally snowing. It doesn't make me happy when it is unseasonably warm. The month of November had lots of days that were warmer than usual and that was really starting to upset me. I know that climate change will bring about weird and wild weather and isn't just a simple matter of creating warmer weather. It will mess with the seasons though and that scares and saddens me. Even though winter often leaves me feeling depressed by mid-January, it has an important biological function in this part of the world. It's a time when plants rest to conserve their energy for the next growing season. Plants that exist in this part of the world need the break of winter in order to be healthy. The freeze is also necessary to regulate bacteria and insects. Change, of course, is part of nature but drastic change caused by human abuse of the Earth will have serious affects on all life and I don't welcome it.

Psychologically, winter is also useful for humans. We need a time to retreat as well. A time to reflect and a time to move slower. We know the sun will return, green things will grow again, and we will be out in our gardens in a few months. But before that we have a chance for renewal, a time to think about what we are happy with in our lives and what we want to change. Even though I will be sick of the cold in a month or so and will yearn for warm and sunny days, I hope this winter isn't unseasonably warm. I hope to use the winter to plan eco-education workshops for the Spring as well write grants for a children's garden. I also will use the time to think about how to change my life to bring about more happiness and to joyfully live in line with my principles. Maybe it's a good opportunity to facilitate the permaculture bookclubs I have been thinking about for a few months? So that thinking about how to live more sustainably can be done with other people as well - we can plan together how to heal the earth while also being collectively healthier and happier.