Rhythm of Life...

Last weekend we spent a happy few hours in the garden clearing all the dead wood and generally tidying up after the snow had melted - underneath the carpet of dead foliage and leaves I was amazed to see hundreds and hundreds of tiny green shoots poking their fragile heads through the frozen soil..in a few weeks there will be a carpet of snowdrops heralding the very early signs of spring on its way.




It made me think; this is the first year we have really observed the highs and lows of a complete year and the variations of all the seasons - usually we are hopping on planes and busily swapping winter for summer or vice versa and the year slips by seasonally intermingled. There is a natural order and rhythm, especially in this corner of the northern hemisphere - whoever decided (another post!) that Christmas would be at the end of December had obviously done their homework! Brilliant! A festival of food, light and celebration after the harvest and before the days start to get longer, a cheerful interlude in the midst of dark days and a respite after all the work of gathering in stores for winter. For me, it feels a bit like when you're coming down with a cold or infection of some sort - usually you feel tired and lethargic; the body's natural signal to slow down and rest. I don't think we pay enough attention to the rhythms of nature - winter is a natural hiatus when everything slows down, a perfect time to cosy up by a warm fire with a good book, the seed catalogues (or whatever takes your fancy) and indulge in a bit of reflection, make plans and recharge the batteries.



I have a current pet-hate (forgive me Wii owners of the world). The advertising agencies and technology producers would have us believe that our time is best spent, year round, closeted in our homes, enjoying any outdoor sport you care to name via a remote control and the television - they spend millions on ads portraying large happy families having a wonderful time indulging in various sporting activities from the comfort of their own sofa....don't get me wrong, I'm all for families spending time together but I really believe that in our 'have it all immediately' culture, we are losing out....

Are we disgruntled by our inability to control what's happening outside? After all, we are able to listen to exactly what we want, when we want; watch anything at any time of the day or night; go shopping for our heart's desire around the clock (without leaving our bed!) I have been surprised by the media's reaction to the recent frozen conditions here in the UK - endless debate about the Met Office not predicting the exact amount of snow or the lack of grit to spread on roads - there does seem to be a general impatience that seasonal conditions impede our highly ordered lives....

I'm not suggesting for a moment that we all switch off the power & take up candle-making - just pay a little more attention to what nature is trying to tell us....a time for everything and everything in it's natural order....enjoy the moment.........s