Recapture the Wonder

Are you tired of complaining about winter? I know it's cold, but why keep focusing on what we don't like about it? I know we have to let our cars warm up and watch for the ice on the sidewalks, but where's the childhood wonder of the season?

It's time to actually go outside and look for it. Dress head to toe for the weather, including layers of long underwear and snow pants. You wouldn't send your five year old outside without it all, so take care of yourself in the same way. Don't worry about fashion. You want all your senses to be freed to discover the wonders of the season.

Listen for the rhythmic scrunch scrunch that can become music if you let it. Look for the glistening sparkle of snow that resembles drifting sand dunes. Smell the freshness of clean air, noticing the clean slate that masks the daily dirt of life. Feel the tingle of cold on your cheeks while your body produces sweat and heat. Marvel at the intricacies of individual snowflakes if you are so lucky as to catch one, or savour the taste of a cold flake captured on your tongue.

At times like these, you won't be so ready to complain. Just capture one thought that you can share with someone else today, a wonder to contemplate before this season is once again just a memory.

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