This morning is the first morning it has felt like REAL winter.  Everything is covered with snow, deep snow, probably about 10” so far.  It is the first morning we  needed to “dress” for winter.

My malamute mentor used a phrase from Eskimos that was “He who sweats, dies.”  It brought home the importance a dressing correctly for this weather.  It necessitates intention and focus in dressing. I sit at the end of the bed on these type of mornings and contemplate those that have gone before me, dog sledders and alpaca ranchers alike.  It brings a calmness to my being, a centering of sorts.   

For me winter fills a yearning I have for a slower pace.  When you are living on top of a mountain, with 10 or 12” of snow, you simply must slow down.  It takes longer to do everything, even getting to the barn takes longer.  To try and rush will land you on your backside, or exhausted, or in a ditch if you are driving, or all of the above.   

Today is a day to celebrate winter’s quiet.