It is November Third. Which means that Daylight Savings Time is officially out. Gone are the long, summer days spent outdoors with friends, family, nature. Winter is coming. Mass consumption of coffee and tea and favorite soups is about to commence. Every year, I look upon this time with dread.
But this year will be different.
I’ve made a vow with myself to enjoy it, especially since moving to my new favorite place. I am anticipating with great excitement the days of reading and writing, the nights of jazz and wine and experimenting with new recipes. The long talks with friends, cherished and logged away in my memory for years to come. Something is different this year.
As I awoke this morning to the sun rising, I felt a promise being made. There was a peace inside of me that allowed me to know that I was going to be okay. That despite my inherent dislike of the bleakness of Winter, God was giving me a gift. A gift of time and solitude. A gift of inner-contentedness. A gift only He can give.
Lest you think that I am disillusioned into thinking that I will not struggle with the long hours of darkness or the bitter cold of a Chicago Winter, rest assured. I am still scared. There is a part of me that cringes when I think of the first snowfall, the first “negative windchill,” the fact that the sun is only visible for about eight hours on any given day (when it is sunny). But instead of choosing to dwell on how awful those things can be, I am choosing to preoccupy myself with pure and wonderful things.
Call it a paradigm shift.
Be prepared to get phone calls and letters from me. Be prepared for Instagrams of house projects and perfected recipes. Be prepared for a lot of blog entries questioning books, films, scripture, articles from Time Magazine, etc. It is going to be a productive and fulfilling Winter.
I hope it is inspiring and humorous. I hope it is full of lessons and thought-provoking conversation with the world around me. I am sure that God has something pretty cool up His sleeve for me this Winter and I cannot wait to see it.
So here’s to the next five months; in all their dark, cold, snow-filled glory!
~Chloe
Delphinium House 