Ode to Oncoming Winter

I can smell winter in the air.

The trees in Chicago are still green for the most part, though the tops of some branches are beginning their autumnal transformation. People still go about midday with short-sleeves, but they carry a jacket just in case. The sun doesn’t seem to linger as it once did, and last night as I left campus, I knew I could smell it.

Winter, lurking like a shadow behind autumn’s back. It peeked out at just that moment as if to say, “remember me?” Images of icy sidewalks, the scent of gasoline as cars work twice as hard to get started, and the feeling of a sharp wind filling my lungs, gripping my senses with sudden alertness. As I recognized its signs, I couldn’t help but smile.

I love winter.

Yes, I love it for the obvious reasons. Christmas is by far the best holiday and nothing beats curling up by the fire in fuzzy socks with a full mug of cocoa. Those are things I think everyone agrees are a highlight of the season.

But when I say I love winter, I’m willing to take it a step farther. Something about the air feels clearer. The landscape seems simpler. Rest comes easier. These are not facts in spite of the harsh cold, and bleak skies, but because of it.

When winter rushes into our lives with cold wind and blustering snow, it forces us to stop dead in our tracks. Some people push past this and continue the rat race, but others I think take a moment to look around. They recognize the simple blessings of warmth and company. They realize the need to slow down. And suddenly, the world makes sense again after a busy and overwhelming year. It is the silent aftermath of chaos. The wiping clean of a scribbled slate. As snow descends in a mass blanket, I can feel the world taking a deep breath… and slowly letting it out. Finally resting, as it waits patiently for work to begin again in the spring.

Winter, to me, is simplicity. It brings me to a place where I can appreciate my life in its simplest form, as I am suddenly aware of the beating of my heart and the heat of my breath. And in that recognition and subsequent rest, there is a stark and raw beauty that only winter can bring.

So I watch for it with anticipation. I’ll enjoy the colors of fall, though it blows by in a whirlwind of work and school. As the busy eventually grows to an overwhelming crescendo, I’ll hold on to the moment when I step outside and feel the cold air hit my lungs.

When I smell winter, and know that rest is right around the corner.

Normal content shall resume shortly, as NaNoWriMo is fast approaching, and I am bursting with excitement for my story this year! Take a nap if you haven’t recently, and let me know if you need a good book suggestion (I always have a few)! And until next time friends, Namárië!