Another Christmas has come and gone. Now we find ourselves in the dead of winter. I can appreciate that this season of snow blankets and frosty breath has much to offer. Postcard sceneries magically cover up a multitude of bland corners of the neighbourhood. Skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and even sleigh-riding, which were impossible under the summer sun, can be daily occurances.

Unfortunately, underneath the snow, I often harbour a sentiment of “getting through” this tough season in order to enjoy the warmer months. These gray days build character and make us proud Canadians, but I secretly anticipate spring.

Today, driving home from work, I pointed out this scenery to my son and realized it had become the norm. Driving by evergreens with fluffy whip cream on them, watching the sun reflect off the ice in the bay and even scraping off the windshield, all now part of our routine. A routine which  is as real and embedded as applying sunscreen and swatting away mosquitoes.

So why do I insist on dreaming of the normalcy of better days when this quarter of the Earth’ s orbit is as regular as the other three? I consider myself a positive thinker (for the most part). Therefore, my growth lies in becoming a present thinker; an enjoy-the-moment kind of person. Not simply in the things that I do, but in those circumstances that surround me and influence these things that I do.

I can appreciate the January Sun.

O JANUARY SUN

I can see her even now, but we’re not as close. She’s more distant, less welcoming. She mopes across the sky with a touch of hopeful warmth; not carefree warmth as it was a few months past.

She keeps more to herself this season. Silent, she is less intrusive. Content to rise late and rest early. Her winter dance is lower and less dramatic; as if she has partially retired from her duties.

I miss our summer affair when I would sweat under her constant attention, sneaking brief moments to hide under the shadows she splashed. Today, I am careful not to be blinded by her cold reminders, reflecting off every frozen surface.

O JANUARY SUN! You soldier on in purpose. Barely threading us through a white winter until you once again take your mark at center stage.

B. Toner – January, 2018