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Winter’s Quiet
by April Guilbault
Have you had this experience? At some point, you hosted an event. Maybe the gathering was small, intimate and the epitome of elegantly cozy. Or maybe it was a big bash with all the trimmings, with the pomp and circumstance stretching for miles. The i’s all were dotted, the t’s were crossed, and the event came to glorious fruition. There might have been some bumps along the way, some concessions to make, some things you missed or didn’t have the time or money or bandwidth to make happen. But the day arrived. Sigh. Ah, but when the dust settled and the quiet moments came to perch, you replayed in your mind what worked, what didn’t, or maybe you thought of something to do differently or better for the next time. The event…and then the replay.
The same goes for the seasons. They are Mama Nature’s events to which we have the privilege of being invited. In the icy winter we revel in the heat of the sun, with its beach days, lazy days, and flip-flop-through-the green-grass days. Then, before we know it, we get to enjoy the Autumn with its cozy sweaters that we will happily snuggle into, with our hands curling around mugs of warm cider. Whether it be the holidays they hold, the weather, or the sweet memories made within seasons, we look forward to them. We live boldly within them (hopefully)! And there’s always that tinge of sadness when they pass, just like a wonderful party.
As all gardeners realize though, while reveling, observing, and working in our gardens (is it really work if you love it?) during the growing season, the post-season has holds great merit as well. In the summer, I notice which bugs have come to visit-hmm, ground bees, you scare me and amaze me, but hello there. Seeing which plants have thrived and which have given up the ghost of success-wasn’t there a Black-Eyed Susan plant here last season? It is entirely accurate to say that in my 25 years of gardening, my garden has never been the same garden twice. A garden is a constant evolution, no matter if it’s a sprawling, multi-bed, fenced-in space or a simple, sunny corner nestled beside your home with a few blooms. Plants come and they go. Issues of soil, bugs, critters keep you on your toes. And the weather? That sure keeps us guessing these days. No two days, weeks, months or years are the same.
The shift in seasons hits hard when the killing frost arrives and the garden becomes browned and withered, entering into its deep sleep state. That vibrant summer and the exuberant fall (my favorite season), with its handfuls of jewel-tones dahlias harvested pretty much every day, sunflowers craning their heads to the last dapples of warm sun…ugh, my green-thumbed soul exhales a long breath. Even today, as I look outside my kitchen window, the autumn leaves have pretty much fallen off the trees. Two short weeks ago, I was driving around town in a state of absolute autumnal giddiness, taking in the blazing color, and that unparalleled golden-hour. Sigh…or is it excitement? We are now on the cusp of yet another new season.
In recent years, though, I have truly come to see the quiet lessons of winter more vividly through the lens of introspection, thanks to this garden of mine. Gardeners have always valued this season as a special and necessary period of time to focus on the replay of the prior season. Whether you are a plant lover or not, this is our time to pause and to look at who we are and where we want to go, in whatever capacity. To analyze what was not so successful and what garnered us a home run.
As the season shows us, winter is also a time to rest and reset. Everything about us needs rest, just like the plants who work so hard in the garden, when they are producing picture-perfect blooms or lumpy, heirloom tomatoes in colors that make supermarket tomatoes look bland. Our brains need time to rest, to process the thoughts, emotions, and information we have collected. We need time to refill our stores of energy for creative new thoughts and ideas. And our bodies need a wee sojourn after a long year to fuel up for the next batch of seasons. Think of any of those times you left for vacation exhausted and returned rejuvenated! In these quieter moments of quieter days we can enjoy the clarity of thought and vision to imagine and to dream. Isn’t that just a delicious thought? How decadent! Oh, and how needed. Have you noticed how much noise surrounds us each and every day in our current lives? Gas stations have tv’s blaring as we pump our gas, every store has loud music playing. We don’t even need to discuss 24-hour news and the (gulp) internet. We are a society that is barraged, with our brains and senses being flooded at every possible moment unless we work to make it otherwise. And we can.
Magic can happen. Remember being a kid and your parents told you to “just look out the window” when you had nothing to do on that roadtrip? Those moments were golden and it didn’t even realize it back then (same goes for those naps we were forced to take!). When our brains are still, it’s also when they are most active for it’s precisely then when the creative juices have a chance to flow freely. A perfect opportunity to plan for your next season, next project, next goal. Best yet, a winter’s allows us space for optimism. That hollyhock with the almost-black blooms that you saw on your summer vacation may very well be in your future. Or those seedlings started in the cold early Spring may provide a new learning experience this year for you (along with some delicious cucumbers and tomatoes and…). Didn’t you have “learn something new” on your goals list for the new year? A hobby? A language? It’s the hope of a new season and all that comes with it.
And so, in the depths of the winter, with its cold stillness and slower pace comes the golden opportunity for growth, exploration, and expansion.
Not bad for a season of rest.