Winter
Today, I will let this Winter Solstice be an opportunity of awakening. I will not only contemplate what has been lost in my own life, but what has been lost in this country.
If you know someone who is likely to feel blue over the holidays, be sensitive and don't overdo the merriment. Figure out which friends or neighbors you can help and what you can do.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
The best way to remember dreams is after a full night's sleep, so take some time during these long nights to catch up on sleep. Let your body rejuvenate with extra sleep over the holidays.
As we ascended the mountain, my daughter noticed the rain was replaced with white specks. Her amazement prompted me to think about human impact on an area cherished for its landscape.
"Courage grows strong at the wound." Someone said this to me and I felt a rush of reverence as I contemplated wounds and war, a wrecked economy, a wasted planet, hope, illusion, the holidays, and the human condition.
If you had the opportunity to talk with Sinterklaas -- known to be quite the music freak -- he might have a thing or two to say about all of those Christmas tunes being bandied about in his name.
In some yoga circles, it is traditional to perform 108 "Sun Salutations" upon the change of seasons. This is most often done in large groups, and often as an "offering" of peace or unity.