“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” Albert Camus
Meditations: In the Depth of Winter is An Invincible Summer... via Wikipedia
Of late, the snowstorms and raining ice chips have left many of us in New York and across the nation in a tizzy; albeit, some in the doldrums. The weather has been quite brutal and it feels like we have permanently moved to the alps. Of course, the winter doldrums will pass … as will our cabin fever but until then; what to do? Most of us know that one of the things we let go in the winter is the need to get out and exercise. We hibernate by turning inwards and curling up by the fireplace (or not) with a favorite book, a movie, or comfort foods. Sure, there’s skiing, skating and other winter sports for those who like the cold but, for the rest of us… well, it’s not so easy.
As much as I appreciate the changing seasons, winter has not managed to win my favor or leave a joyful, indelible memory in my bones. The endless spread of snow, the biting cold, the formidable snapping winds and icy roads make me cringe and then I wonder; How could I have spent so many years of my life in countries with cold weather and not adjust to it? I suppose some of us just have warm weather bones and crave the heat and sunshine more than the cold and snowfall. But I started to think about this today because I wanted to change my thinking a bit; even a little shift can make a huge difference in our lives.
I looked at Albert Camus’ quote and thought about it some more. There is an invincible summer in the depth of our winter. There is strength within the human soul that peeks through even when we are going through the dark night of the soul. No matter what we are going through at any point in our lives, we can find moments, little moments of hope and love and light… These moments remind us that we can weather the changing seasons; if we stop and take account of the good around us. We can discard what no longer serves us but keep what does and add new ways of being to our routines.
A mini movie from Simple Truths: Laughter is an Instant Vacation will add humor to your day. We can look at other ideas to help shift our thinking in creative ways. I have a mentor in Brooklyn and we meet weekly. But because of the last snowstorm, we got to use Skype… Lovely! I’ve even dug out some hip-hop dance-exercise DVDs and … chuckle all you want, it has added to the invincible summer in my household. 
What’s going on in your winter world? Do tell!
