It has finally become cold here this winter. After weeks of relative warmth, these days we are starting to put on our heaviest coats and thickest gloves before venturing out. Even then it feels icy.
It feels good to take a minute to go outside, even in the bitter cold. Try it for just a short moment.
Stand still and see if there is any sound or movement around you. Maybe a bird calls from a nearby tree. A rare squirrel runs to hide in a pile of fallen leaves. Or maybe even a tiny insect crawls up the trunk of a tree, though most of them have gone by now. The trees are still standing, of course, but they seem to have withdrawn into themselves, protecting themselves from the harshness of winter. Sometimes you can actually feel the life flowing through them, though it is harder in the cold.
Many little creatures have also withdrawn, burrowing together into warm spaces underground. I, too, am about to burrow under a heavy blanket on my sofa with my big dog. She is good at keeping me warm.
In the quiet cold, life continues. The plants, the animals, and you and me. Find life.