Murph’s Musings

Finding Community in Winter’s Cold

A story of connection and growth

Reg and Fi in the snow ~ Photo by Author

A deep freeze looms on the horizon, an inevitable descent into stillness. The kind of cold that doesn’t just settle into the bones but reaches deeper, into the unseen places where breath and spirit intertwine.

With the windchill, the temperatures will plummet well below zero for the next five days. My small town stirs with an expectant energy, as if bracing for something more than just the weather. Windows veiled in blankets to ward off the creeping chill, provisions gathered, plans adjusted.

A slow retreat begins.

This will be the coldest stretch of the season, the most unforgiving. The knowledge of it presses against me like a harbinger.

I’ve always had an uneasy relationship with the cold. It’s bearable in moderation, even beautiful when the air holds its softness, falling in whispers rather than in silence.

But this is something else. This is winter as Force, winter as Trial, stripping away excess and leaving only what is essential.

Still, my body craves movement. I returned to the gym after a day of rest, honoring the quiet agreement I made with myself to show up, even when the outside world is inhospitable. LS and JM…