Strange times. Is this the end or just a new beginning?

The dead of winter finds me enjoying warm afternoons after clear cool nights all the while hard offshore winds blow with chances of rainfall.  What?? 

A whole year’s wardrobe worn in just 24 hours. Down fill for the pre dawn chill, Polar Tec for the mornings, and cotton for the warmth of the afternoon then as the sun begins it’s downward arc the whole thing reverses. In Southern California you never get to put everything away.

I’m basking like a lizard on a rock in the warmth of the early sun enjoying the last cup of the sunrise pot of tea. The morning’s chores completed and the afternoons not as yet quite defined.

This time of the year, north of the equator we should all intentionally take a moment, even if it’s only one breath and appreciate that we are likely to make it.  I have listened to the old stories and I’ve come to appreciate that it was not always so. Winter is not always kind.

It’s deeply ingrained to carry an appreciation and respect for the challenges of another winter. Not that we would be able to take advantage of the after Christmas sales or even the next good swell. But every creature’s deepest desire, silently locked away in their DNA is to make just one more trip around the sun. 

To misquote Bob Dylan out of context, "It's not light yet, but it's getting there"

Breathe deep. 

Again and Again and Again