It’s snowing outside. It probably won’t stay long because it’s supposed to get warmer in a few days.
But it’s beautiful.
The snow is beautiful and the air is refreshing. It feels so cozy to sit inside where it’s warm, with scented candles and lights and decorations. I love the warmth and coziness I feel this time of year.
Yes, it’s easier to walk and run outside when it’s warm, when I don’t have to worry about ice or snow, when I don’t have to spend extra time putting on layers before I go outside—but there are so many things I appreciate about this time of year, about each season.
There are so many things we can appreciate each day and all throughout the year.
We all have preferences; we all have wants and desires and things we like and prefer. This is natural and it’s a part of who we are.
But life is also about perspective. Our perspective determines how we experience everything in life.
And we are where we are.
We can choose to honor ourselves, and this moment, and where we are. And we can choose to bring our attention to things we can appreciate each day—and within each season.
It’s so easy for us to get caught up in our own preferences, in how we think we’d like things to be, in the things we think we like and prefer.
But we can always shift and expand our perspective. We can know our preferences, while also looking for what we can appreciate each day. What does this moment offer us? What does this season offer us? What can we do, here, now, that maybe we can’t get anywhere else, in any other time? What beautiful things and opportunities are here right now?
We can allow what is to be, we can allow ourselves to be where we are, and we can pay attention to the things we appreciate each day.
In recent years, I’d say that I prefer summer and the warmth and sun and heat—and maybe I still do—but I also love and appreciate things about every season. And whenever it snows, I feel a childlike enthusiasm for it. I find myself in awe of the beauty of it.
Here are a few things I love and appreciate about winter:
1. The beauty of snow.
2. The invigorating, refreshing air.
3. How it feels extra cozy inside when it’s cold outside.
4. Hot tea and coffee somehow feel even better.
5. There’s a feeling of ease, a settling into rest and relaxation.
6. The lights and decorations.
7. Christmas Eve.
8. Coming into a warm house after a walk or run out in the cold.
9. Not sweating as much.
10. Candles feel even more special for some reason!
There are things we can appreciate each day, through each season, all year long. Our minds like to categorize and have preferences and have opinions about how we’d like things to be—but the truth is that everything is perspective.
We can look for things we appreciate; we can open up to the beautiful things in our lives right now. We can choose to look for lightness and goodness and opportunity; we can embrace where we are while keeping ourselves open to feeling into where we ultimately want to be.
We can live in the moment, embrace it, and appreciate big and little things about the spaces and places we’re inhabiting now.
What are some things you love about winter? What are some things you can appreciate today?
~
AUTHOR: LISA ERICKSON
IMAGE: MARGARITA/PEXELS
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