Mid-Winter Peace by Michael Valliant “When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives might be,” This winter I have been living inside Wendell Berry’s poem “The Peace of Wild Things.” I thought I might write inside it too. Berry is a farmer, a novelist, a poet and an essay writer, among other things. He’s written more than 50 books and lives and farms in Henry Country, Kentucky, where he is from. The subject matter, rhythm, language and imagery of his writing brings me peace. I need that, especially during winter. February is a short, cold, dark month. I’ve never cared for Valentine’s Day, so it offers no reprieve. This year, Valentine’s Day is on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, which I’d much rather observe. Winter, especially with little to no snow, can take its toll, mentally, emotionally and physically. It’s a great time to read Wendell Berry. Wintering, as an act, introduced me to the writing of Katherine May. In her book “Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times,” she writes, “Wintering is a season in the cold. It is a fallow period in life when you’re cut off from
the world, feeling rejected, sidelined, blocked from progress, or cast into the role of an outsider.” But it’s part of a natural and necessary process. We need to winter. May adds, “Wintering brings about some of the most profound and insightful moments of our human experience, and wisdom resides in all who have wintered.” We can take some cues from na45