Late Winter
“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”—attributed to John Muir
Now that I am in my eighth decade (yeah, it’s true, once we hit seventy, we are in our eighth decade), I find myself reflecting more than ever on how I want to spend the time I have left on this planet. Of course, none of us know how much time we have left, but I wonder if how many days we have really matters in the face of decisions about how we spend our days. I mean, how I spend my time now is what matters, right? So, this past week I made sure to enjoy this snowy climate I live in, on cross country skis. I skied with my daughter up north in Vermont, mid-week, and yesterday I skied with a group of friends and acquaintances not far from my home in southern Vermont. Both days were gloriously sunny, with bright blue skies. Both days provided great skiing conditions. Both days provided excellent company.
Daytime temperatures will climb into the low forties this week, the first weather above freezing in many weeks in Vermont. It’s been a cold, snowy winter, as I like it. And the February light is increasingly beautiful. And yet, the thought of a week on a beach sounds nice. I am looking forward to spending the third week of March on the Gulf Coast of Florida with a friend.
March is a fickle month in New England, still mostly winter but not always with the best conditions for snow sports. Riding a bike, reading on a beach, swimming—these activities are enticing to a Vermonter in March, or at least to this Vermonter. Before I go, I will visit the Smith College annual spring bulb show with a dear old friend, and I will visit some historical homes (Mark Twain’s and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s) in Hartford, CT, with another good friend. A close friend who lives in Atlanta will be visiting me for a few days in early March. Spring may be a long way off still (with most wildflowers not appearing in the woods until mid-April) but soon the sap will be flowing in the maples trees and the days will keep getting longer, and before I know it I will be donning shorts and T-shirts. I can get down with that.