Winter Solstice

December 22, 2021

Refoections Day 72

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.

And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
― Albert Camus

It was a dreary day.

The sun never sent the first golden ray through the clouds

It wasn’t freezing cold but it was the kind of wet cold

That permeates clothing, skin, and attitudes

A cold wind blew in some heavy rain that lasted a while.

After that, there was what I call a “spitting rain,”

That is not really rain, not enough for an umbrella,

But just enough to keep you a little wet—a cold wet.

It was a day that sent me inside.

As I looked out the window, I noticed that the color was gone

The white, yellow, and blue flowers had all faded into grey tones.

The birds had stopped sharing their songs, and the squirrels quit bitching.

“It’s the first day of winter,” I said to myself.

And then I grinned at the thought that it was December twenty first

And that, beginning the next morning, the days would get longer.

And I whispered to myself, “Everything is going to be all right.”

—john schulz