Winter

Winter is just around the corner and I'm going to embrace it completely this year. Last year I basically just bundled up and blocked out every moment I was caught outside in the gustery, ice cold air. This time around I'd like to see the beauty in winter like I saw the beauty in autumn. The contrasts in scenery are phenomenal. Colors that ranged from vivid red to bright yellow to burnt orange, slowly fade to thin, black, baron stems connected to thick trunks dipped in rich, white, spilt milk, everywhere you turn. I'll take a trip somewhere the trees stretch tall into the sky, rather than buildings, pick up all my hobbies steadily, drink hot green tea to keep warm. There's no reason to stop living life as fully as you did when it was warmer out. Winter can be a perfect time for introspection and self-betterment. I can't wait.

Joanna Newsom fits beautifully with the coming of winter:

"Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

-Lao Tzu

If you bring forth what is within you, 

what you bring forth will save you. 

If you do not bring forth what is within you, 
what you do not bring forth will destroy you.

Trust the universe.

On the train ride home from work tonight, while instrumental artwork dripped from my head-phones, I noticed a little girl sitting with her mom. Her little sister sat in the chairs next to them, she had I <3 Jesus barrettes in her braids. Their mother was speaking to a man, maybe their father. I couldn't hear her, but I could make out the word "fuck" numerous times. The girl was maybe 9 and seemed comfortable with her mother's crude language. I felt sad for the little girl. Little kids are so pure and I felt sad that her young mind was being shoveled with such harsh words. Her face was blank, empty, but she sat staring and I caught her glance. I smiled at her, fully expecting no response, and then her face lit up so bright, like a light bulb in a dark room. It was the highlight of my night. Human connections might be the only reason we roam this globe. And they can be found anywhere, anytime of day, as long as you're present.

Everything you touch burns, when you're full of flames.

Autumn teaches us that death is natural and not something to be feared. The quiet leaves live their quiet lives and when they die they silently change colors. It's surreal and beautiful and I couldn't be more grateful for this wonderful season. To show my appreciation, I've been laying beneath the trees a lot lately. A sea of fallen leaves surround me as I lay and watch the wind whisper away a few more lives. It's strange that something can be the most beautiful it's ever been in it's last few moments of life. Even stranger still, is that watching their transformation leaves me feeling more alive than ever.