A Lovely Winter Day

 

I took myself out for my birthday morning to enjoy the lovely winter weather we were blessed with. January is easily my top month, which goes against the grain of how most people view January (cold, dark, gloomy), but I love everything about it. This day was all sunshine and crisp air, but I will gladly take the cloudy days most would call gloomy. To me, clouds add interest and atmosphere, which in turn adds an inspiring element that I usually want to capture in words or a photo. 

What could be better than a browse in a used bookshop (Inklings Book Shoppe located downtown now), a coffee, and a time in the lovely Hollis Garden? It felt like such an indulgence to enjoy these moments so selfishly. It was a time of not being productive, of indulging in book browsing, and writing a poem in the garden. I began to ask myself - is it okay to take time to do such a frivolous thing? The answer came easily following the trail of the question - yes. It was a couple hours of filling up my bucket.  With the intensity of other things that have been occupying my time, it truly felt like a gift to take time out to be so frivolous, and it was much needed. So simple, really. I used my birthday as an excuse to take the time, but I know I should probably use a more easily contrived excuse for next time (not a once per year occurrence).

The beautiful thing about the time was the freshness of the air and how restoring the time was for my soul. I haven't been taking time for these things lately, and I feel it deeply. It is to my own detriment that I don't set aside such times. It was perhaps perfect timing to have just finished reading Essentialism, a book about setting aside the things that are nonessential to have space in your life, focus on the important things, and not be bogged down by all the clutter or noise of everything trying to grab you. It is something I've already been working on in my life, but I am better equipped with some tools to allow myself to let go of things that are not essential. It's refreshing to do so. 

I tend to have a sanguine view of the days ahead, not because I think the world's problems or my own will all be solved, but because I trust in the Lord who is all loving, all knowing, all seeing, and who is in charge of all creation. It means everything is in His hands, and that brings much comfort, that a higher power has ultimate oversight and it's not in human hands. The Lord is in charge, who has created and is creating. I am cheerfully confident in that, and felt it through and through as I sat in the garden penning these wind-swept words into a silly poem.

It's a beautiful day to sit in the garden
A cold breeze, fresh air, but do pardon
My warm wool blazer and sweater layers
I'm inspired by the age of Dorothy L. Sayers
And it's delightfully cold so I may deploy
This perfect way to dress and enjoy
Perched on my select bench with views
That conjure the words, inspire my muse.