Saturday, March 11, 2017

Saying Goodbye to the Last Silent Night of Winter

I know I stand alone as someone who absolutely loves the cold silent nights of Winter. It's the time of the season when November begins until March ends when the nights are long, cold and silent. This is the most relaxing time of the year for me and the only time that I can enjoy the night sky as soon as the sun fades into darkness. When all of the animals are put to bed and all of the doors and gates are locked I'll stand in the middle of the yard and look up at the night's sky. At that moment I am absolutely at peace with the world around me and the world within me. It's the silence that I love the most because it transforms me into an empty vessel. For just that moment there is no past and no future. There is only now in this moment. So I enjoy every second of silence until the world around me slowly starts to creep back in. It's usually my 3 dogs getting restless, a plane, a car, an owl or a passing deer that brings me back to reality. But for those few short moments of cold silence I am completely at peace.

Tonight our clocks spring ahead one hour and my long silent nights are flying south. Already the geese have invaded the silence of night as they arrive from the south and compete for the best nesting spots. In less than a week, daylight will dominate the darkness and work will take over where relaxation was. Soon this farm will be transformed from a silent wasteland to a loud jungle with every animal and plant scrambling to live every second as if it were their last and I will try to support them as best as I can. Soon the night will mean only sleep as fast as you can before the slave driver of daylight wakes you again.

So I will say goodbye to my silent nights of winter and quickly prepare for your obnoxious sisters Spring and Summer Nights. They will taunt me with the desire for a restful silent sleep, then take it away as soon as they give it. But I know you will return in October. When everyone else is complaining that the warm days are gone I will be celebrating your return and my wonderful silent nights of Winter.

8 comments:

  1. Lovely! I couldn't agree more!

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  2. even in a city in Ohio, the not-so-dark silence of deep night is welcoming. I imagine that your stars greatly outnumber mine in the light pollution of the city but I welcome them, nonetheless! Cherish this night, as truly this is the only moment. Past and future are truly an illusion. Each moment by each moment and we live - relish your awareness! So many people are denied this joy. And: Dance on, by all means!

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  3. Thank you for sharing. Present Moment Aliveness, ahh ~no past, no future, I feel your peace in those few moments, through your words, I can see you there.
    Beautiful.
    Arla

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    1. I also thought the same thing of his words just then. I also saw him there. Thank you also for your words 💕

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  4. I love the cold, clear, crisp and silent nights of winter, this is such a wonderful description. I am very much attracted to the moon and she is at her best in the winter months. I do love autumn and spring also with summer as my least favorite season. Winter is when everything is resting waiting for the spring to arrive. It is easier to dance when it is cooler out and dancing in the moonlight is the best! Much love Jay!

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  5. My favorite part is the way teh colors seep back into everything at about 6 am. Like a Nabis print, deep saturated blues, purples and greens. The the sun starts getting cheeky in March and we have a blast of pure light, from dark to white. Love winter nights!

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  6. Thank you for sharing this, Jay!

    Gosh, what an awareness this connected me to. It brought me back...way back! I was around 10-12 years old... walking back to my house after being over my cousins, which was a couple blocks away. As I write this... I am amazed actually, that my parents never picked me up! But those days, we walked, even to school a couple miles away, in rain/snow/cold ... Yes... it was a different world then, I am 59.

    What I related to while reading your post...was how beautiful nightfall was in midst of the Winter. The glistening slippery roads, glowing from the light of the street lamps. As I walked... my warm breathe hitting the ice cold air...seeing a small white cloud emitting from my scarf covered lips. My eyes blinking away tears from the cold wind. All things very still, as if asleep...hibernating. I remembered thinking, how beautiful and peaceful it was. God was watching over me. There wasn't anything in the world to be afraid of. It was our quiet time, reflecting. It seemed forever, till I would get home...and yet being with myself, my thoughts and God... I was home in seconds.

    I have no recollection of having such intimacy with any other season.

    Blessings,
    Christine

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