A harsh task-master, winter forces us to accept what is and respond appropriately – and also brings refreshing honesty and authenticity.
Winter can’t be denied. Much as we’d like to pretend it’s a balmy spring day or a warm summer afternoon, the bitter wind stings the eyes and our hands feel like ice. If we live where there’s snow, we can try backing the car out the driveway, hoping it will plow the way through the white piles, or accept the reality that it’s better to just shovel the snow and clear the way, rather than getting stuck. Even here in sunny and mild California, we feel the change during winter and respond appropriately.
Facing Reality with Clarity
That’s what winter calls forth in us: the acceptance of reality and the appropriate response. Life is the way it is, in every given moment. It’s easy to accept this when things are good. But wintertime challenges us in many ways. The cold, stormy, unpredictable weather forces us to layer our clothes, protect our extremities, chop the wood, pay more for our heating bills, and stock up on necessities for those days we can’t leave the house. By necessity, we recognize what nature demands of us and then change our behavior accordingly.
The reality of winter is sometimes stark. Barren trees fill the orchard, their dark, pointed forms rising sharply from the snowy mantle covering the soil, harshly contrasted against the bright, clear winter sun.
This stark reality may be revealed in your life right now, too. As a blizzard may be raging outside your cabin in Lake Tahoe or your apartment in Manhattan, you may find a blizzard of bills arriving in the mailbox to bring attention to your spending habits. An injury, new or old, will not let you continue to ignore or abuse your body. Outbursts of rage make the underlying tension, fear, or sorrow undeniable and call for us to deal with these emotions directly and promptly. Winter doesn’t mince words and won’t wait for a more convenient time to make its voice known.
The Gift of Truthfulness
Yet this ruthless taskmaster offers us a great gift amidst its strict manner — clarity and truthfulness. We are no longer under our self-imposed delusions: we see things as they are. This is the practice of Satya, the recognition of Truth. The weight of our denial and avoidance, which becomes heavier the more we run from reality, is lifted. This brings lightness to our hearts, allowing ourselves to feel the grief we’ve long suppressed, and to accept, yes, it’s time to get my health in order. Now.
Allow this refreshing time of honesty and clarity to turn yourself inward, seeing yourself as you are. To accept the good and the bad, the pleasant and unpleasant, with frankness. It is when we see reality as it is that we can respond in a way that serves our highest good.
Embracing Authenticity and Renewal
Clarity allows us to take right action. When we know our health is suffering and really get it, down to our bones, we’ll get off our butt and exercise or change our diet. If winter brings to light that our emotions are running and ruining our lives, we’ll make the call and see a counselor or a friend for help. The cold season humbles us so that we recognize: yes, we, too, are imperfect human beings. Rather than avoiding our imperfections, we can embrace them with acceptance and give them the support they need.
Surprisingly, when we allow ourselves to humbly accept our own personal reality, the possibility for greater happiness arises. Because we can simply be who we are. No more pretense, trying to dress up our wintertime challenges as springtime daffodils. We can begin to see the beauty of our true self, rather than who we’ve been pretending or trying to be.
This new authenticity exposes aspects of yourself you may have overlooked. Think of the things you see in the winter that you didn’t notice before: the squirrel’s nest in the oak tree, hidden amongst the summer foliage; the shape of the trunk and its vast network of branches; the gnarled root system, with its bumps and turns, spread out through the lawn.
Nurturing Inner Strength for Spring
Our inner foundations are brought to the surface of our awareness for an overhaul in the cold season. Imagine what other qualities lie within you, waiting to be revealed when the snow melts and the possibilities of spring burst forth from the seemingly barren earth. When the first flowers emerge from their bulbs, you may then see the strength, joy, health, inspiration, and motivation that lay within the bare bones of yourself.
The same orchard scene can then be perceived anew. What were once harsh lines reveal themselves as clear contrasts. Dark, wrinkled bark next to brilliant blue sky. Pointed twigs, tiny buds emerging, hang over round, snow-glazed bushes. The hardness of the tree trunk brushes the soft, sparkling mantle of white. Winter exposes the line and form, the bare bones of nature and ourselves. A new beauty unfolds in seeing life with clarity and unabashed honesty. Accept this reality and open yourself to a clear vision not only of the present moment, but of the coming springtime in your life.