Centerport, December 30, 2011

Looking out my kitchen window at the garden and greenhouse on these early Winter mornings reminds me of a photo I once saw in a beautiful gardening book. It was entitled “Repose,” and it aptly describes the current state of gardens and farms in the Northeast. To be sure it is a time to reflect on the busy year that’s past and dream of the activities planned for the future.

Repose, as defined by the online dictionary consulted is “Temporary rest from activity, excitement, or exertion, esp. sleep or the rest given by sleep.”

The garden is doing it, hibernating animals are doing it and so should we. Those who dread Winter because of the immobilizing snow or cold should, instead, revel in its force to make us take a moment, slow down, and restore the sense of stillness that every living thing needs.