Yes, just a bit. Though the surrounding landscape can become a Christmas card-like wonderland, for many, the lack of sunshine and warmth isn´t fun or nice. I say this as the sole survivor of a household of people who suffered from the “winter blues”, a recognized disorder that I do not belittle at all - I am just grateful I don´t suffer from it. So I learned to hold back my glee at the first feel of winter´s approach. Nobody appreciated when I would rush in, rednosed and bright-eyed, to announce that I just saw the first snowflake. “Thanks for the weather report, Miss Pumpkin Spice. If you say another word meteorologically until spring I´ll pumpkin spice you!” So I would just tread lightly for the duration, all the while pondering why winter-hating persons would move to Minnesota. So yes, I´ve always been one of the winter lovers, not just for the holidays, snow sports and the après everything cosies and tipples. I mostly love it for its quiet, the longer nights and its deep call to hunker down and go within. I don´t just love winter, I need winter. Nature, in her wisdom, planned her seasons with reason and expects us to take heed. Henry David Thoreau wrote in his August 23, 1853 journal entry: “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each”. Mr. Thoreau so understood it, having spent over a year in
It´s Not Just the Hot Chocolate By Didi Arias
a tiny cabin in the woods in Massachusetts (and winter surely was no easy task as I´ve been to the site of where that cabin stood in the woods, in a snowstorm). There is a certain appeal to opt for the holiday film
Winter, possibly more than any other
thoughts will ease the dangerous driving
version of winter, hibernating for months
season in the Northern hemisphere, has
conditions, fierce storms and the daily tasks
by the fireplace in reindeer stockinged
the tendency to evoke strong feelings in
that just got harder.
feet, hot cocoa in one hand, faithful hound snoozing under the other. But the reality of
folk: either they love it or they hate it. For the haters, I get it. Winter can punch out a
“Hmmm, yes, it´s all a bit of a chore” my
“I´m hungry” stall door banging, hay nets to
ton of aggro and no amount of holly jolly
British instructor friends say.
fill, iced buckets to thaw, etcetera, etcetera
16
Winter 2021 | Riding Instructor
