Lost light

With the change in the season and our abrupt departure from daylight savings time we now begin the start of our hibernation for the winter months. I have never lived in southern states and therefore do not know if those residents suffer the same fates as we northerners. However, my personal changes have already begun.

There is something different about the change in this season. The colors are brighter and crisper and the sky is bluer. I suppose a scientist would likely explain it has to do with the angle of the sun. Perhaps. The light is not as harsh and the world just seems more vibrant and alive. Odd when you would think that all the plants are dieing. But with the shortening of the days we all begin a semi-hibernation. We all adjust to the cooler/colder temperatures with rituals. Some start in the kitchen with foods you wouldn't have in the summer. Big family meals with meat and potatoes wouldn't be regular fair on a summer's Sunday. It is internal. It is a warming we feel as we escape the rigors of the outside world and a cozy fire locked away from the cold nights.

We have returned to standard daylight time. I for one wish they would forget this process. What we gain in the morning we lose at night. We no longer live in a sun up to sun down world. The agrarian lifestyle has moved urban and we dwell in a virtual twenty-four hour world. I am though a creature of the light. Although there are times when the evening and night worlds hold my interest, nothing satisfies me more than a warm sun. It is harder in the winter to gain this satisfaction as the mid-western world is generally overcast and gray. Toward the end of winter I will take what few opportunities there are and sit in the sun in my den and let the light wash over me. It renews my spirit and to some extent my soul.

I do like the winter months. It is a time of great joy and festivals. It is Thanksgiving and the Christmas season, the start of a new year and an ending with Easter. I do not hate the snow as others do. I remember the fun times I had as a child and am looking forward to seeing how my grandson reacts to his first romp in the "white death" with his Paw-Paw.

As we hunker down for the end of the year, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. And may Miss Texas enjoy her first down-home winter.