happy inside

So much about this season is beautiful and comforting.  

Maybe it's because I have a warm home and hearth - 
plenty of food packed in freezer and pantry - 
sweaters and hats and scarves to keep me warm. 

Maybe it's because I love being at home - 
warm inside looking out.

 This season offers me plenty of time to be with my family 
(who is also staying close to home). 

Right now, the kitchen is the place to be: 
close to the wood stove, 
chairs spontaneously pulled up to the warmth, 
conversations begun -
 an effortless and comfortable connection 
that is diluted when the warm sun pulls us outside and spreads us thin.

Come into the kitchen and you will see a pot of soup bubbling on the stove,
 or a loaf of bread coming out of the oven - 
you will smell the woodsmoke mingled with broth, herbs and yeast.

Life this time of year revolves around the preparing and eating 
of the hearty foods that sustain us: 
breads, soups, stews, strong coffee, warm tea.

Sustenance.

 I'm not lost to the "hassles" of winter - 

 but, if I am mindful, I allow the hassles to become reminders: 

: take more time
: be in the moment
: breathe into discomfort
: sleep more
: eat nourishing food to feed my body
: create color and beauty inside my home to feed my soul.

 I am that much more grateful when the peepers and sunshine appear - 
only a couple of months away.  

For now,  the the view looks good from right here by the fire.

~j