Dear Old Man Winter,
You are the bringer of that enchanting white gold that falls from the sky. You fill the watersheds and provide a vital resource to all life. Not to mention it's fun to play in.
While you spent ample time back in the East this season, we sure missed your presence here in the Sierras. It was definitely limited. Snow dances don't always work so I figured I'd try writing.
I know you had a tough time with those persistent high pressure ridges blocking your path over the West coast, and you had to travel the jet stream as it was. However, it sounds as if there may be a possibility of strong El Nino conditions this summer and leading into next winter.
We do appreciate the surprise and welcomed breakthrough dump you made in late April. Perhaps you'll have abundantly more opportunities to deliver a series of those low pressure systems next season. Looking forward to see you.
Have a good summer,
Snow Lover
P.S.- Send a hello to Ol' St. Nick. It's been a long time since I've written him.
"You can't get too much winter in the winter." - Robert Frost (American poet)
Wherever you are and whatever you may be involved in at the moment, there will always be that place (physical or moral), however subtle it may be, where the fork in the road will demand a direction. At times, and hopefully most regularly, the answer will flow like water. Other times it might place a dam right in your damn river.
Ebbing and flowing like the tides, the
universe is in constant motion, creating an eternal ensemble of gravity and electrical activity which inevitably subjects us all in some way or another, everyday.
This magnetism interweaves with the multitude of variables, dynamics, and decisions that ultimately forms the unique composition of our lives. How will you be pulled or pushed? Where will your reactions (navigation) take you?
Perhaps we can learn to metaphorically couple the ancient skill of orientation more with our own moral development through this journey. Orientation is an essential survival skill that has been utilized by human beings for millennia. Our ancestors were deeply perceptive in their sense of bearing and connection to place, and those ancient skills they developed can still teach us something about ourselves today. There has always been a considerable benefit to having a greater awareness of one's environment; learn from the natives.
Learn how to harness and preserve that part of your brain called the hippocampus and make an effort to exercise it regularly. The hippocampus is in fact one of the few parts of the brain that is actually capable of growing new neurons. Participate in this symphony via the biological neural network and humbly play a direct role in evolution while you're at it. Allow this learned skill, grounded in our connection to the rotational physics of the Earth, also compliment your navigation through the moral wilderness, especially in today's digital world - it may be more vital than ever.
Wherever you go, there you are. And so too is your (physical and inner) compass. Keep it close at hand and maintain objectivity in your judgement, for as you travel to different places on earth, you will always need to adjust for declination and subjectivity. Be diligent in your practice, listen to it keenly, and most importantly, let it guide you in the direction you should be headed.
"We have always been taught that navigation is the result of civilization, but modern archaeology has clearly demonstrated that this is not so." - Thor Heyerdahl (Norwegian ethnographer/adventurer)
