As we approach the coldest and wettest time of year in the Sierra Nevada, I notice that the shorter daylight hours and sometimes less than sunny weather makes it harder for me to get off of the sofa and into the fresh air after a day at work or school. I still find time to get outside on my days off being passionate about skiing, but overall I am tempted to be much less active in the winter time.
Image provided by Xavier Ambs.
Lately my dog Monster has been especially pitiful when I get home, and doesn’t seem to understand why I won’t take him running in the dark. Feeling guilty, I have begun to make an effort to be active in the cold, wet, darkness of our winter evenings, and have surprised myself with how much I love it! Taking Monster for walks through my neighborhood in the night, I find myself looking up at the sky above and marveling how bright and clear the stars are this time of year.
The cold air is especially refreshing and invigorating as I keep warm through walking. I notice that my without my normal vision I pick up on sounds, smell, and senses that I feel I overlook in the light of day. I hear an owl hooting in the distance. The rain shower from earlier in the day brings a freshness to the air that I miss in our incredibly dry summers. The pine trees blow in the wind, their sound comforting some deep part of me. Even though I am just walking through my regular old neighborhood, its like I have escaped into the wilderness and there is no one around.
My point is, there is potential out there for all of us to not lose our connection with nature despite the perceived difficulties this time of year provides. How do you keep yourself from becoming a couch potato this time of year?