Time is moving faster now it seems and people close to me are in their 'retirement' years. Although I've never thought of 'retirement' I have changed how I think about 'work' in general. For 30 years I had to consider my day and how to make it profitable by working for corporations which meant long drives into the nearest big city because that was where the money was. What did I know about money? You worked long hours for it. That was a way of thinking that I was born into.
Recently, within the last few years I have come to understand that you can make money without having to work long hours for it. And you don't have to work hard for money. Working at home has taught me that you can do anything you want and get paid for it, all you have to do is focus on what it is you want to do.
So over 12 years ago I began to think about 'retirement' or, should I say, "non-retirement" and began to think about what would be a good way to spend my time during my 'winter' years. I thought long and hard about what I loved learning and doing and set myself into work that I can live with. I don't have a 'boss' except me, and my time is my own. After working for corporations for 30 years where you had to be somewhere at a certain time and work so many hours a day, then be 'allowed' to leave....I knew I needed to do something that allowed me freedom from impending time clocks and regimented breaks. How much like jail we live and never consider that there is another way of living.
For many years I dreaded winter. The long nights meant never seeing daylight because you got up to go to work in the dark and came home in the dark; the driving to and from work in traffic jams that added hours to driving time, the shoveling of driveways and scraping off cars; standing in the cold to put gas in the tank; putting on heavy coats and scarves and boots and gloves; slipping and sliding on icy roadways. All of this was what made me dread winter.
All that changed when I came home to work. I realized that I never had the time to appreciate the beauty and the quiet that accompanies a blanket of pristine, powdery white snow. The beauty that is winter takes on new meaning when you can take the time to appreciate its icy wonders: it's the only time of year that lets you see who and what is walking around your yard. Birds, deer, cats (some big cats!), coyote and ground hogs that are supposed to be hibernating all make their way through the yard.
There's nothing like walking in falling snow. It's so quiet. You don't hear any sounds at all but the sound your feet make when you walk. Snow hitting your face is like tiny ice crystals that melt on contact. I love walking in falling snow more than at any other time of year. I'm not sure what it is, but there is just something about a winter walk. Maybe it is that it makes me feel like a kid again when I used to roam the woods in deep snow up to my knees.
In the stories I would hear from Pa'Ris'Ha when she spoke of the changes of seasons she would say that the old ones knew that winter was a time of contemplation, of going inward and connecting with the self. Stories would be told around campfires as the whole village would gather in one meeting place. I could imagine they would gather together for warmth and tell stories so they wouldn't have just the howling winds to listen to. What else did they have other than story tellers? There were no Wii's and X Boxes, no TV with Dancing With The Stars or sit-coms. The storytellers were valued and treasured members of the village who told tales of real life or mythical magical events from ages long ago. Stories capable of holding the attention and imaginations of everyone and keeping them on the edge of their seats or comedies that invoked deep belly laughs were akin to our TV sets and what they mean to us. Imagine your life without your entertainment center. Everyone needs a good story.
Another thing I love about winter is sitting by a cozy fire wrapped up in a blanket and sharing the day with family or loved ones. There's nothing cozier than a fire in the grate and the smell of wood burning and the warmth it gives off.
Finally, after so many years, I am living the way life was meant to be lived. I work when I want and as long as I want. I love doing something meaningful and purposeful in life and all the variants that come with what I do. I love getting out of bed in the morning and being able to take my day as it comes with all the people that I meet who grace my doorstep. I take the time for dreaming and introspection as I sit at a window and look at scenes that are often so cold that you can see a bluish cast over the landscape. You know it's cold when you see the color of ice in the air! At this stage of life, my 'winter' years, I finally have made the time to take the time to appreciate the seasons, in particular, Winter. I never should have waited so long to make the discovery of your quiet and serenity, your beauty and joy. My 'lost' season. How I appreciate you!
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