It is easy for me to welcome a new "winter month" standing outside, letting the sun warm my face.  The sun is breathing life, and I feel it in every pore of my body.

Not everyone can step out into the warmth of the sun right now.  What you can do though, is to step outside and breathe fresh air.  even if it is just for a brief moment.  The fresh air, (almost) regardless of temperature will clear your mind and free your senses.

As hard as the dark winter months can be in the Northern Hemisphere, you who live there, will endure and make the most of it.  Trust me, I have lived with real winters most of my life, so I do know how difficult it can be.  I also know that the sun will shine with warm bright rays upon your skin again.  It is a known fact, so hold onto that image and cozy up after breathing some fresh air.  Cozy up by the fire, light some candles and just be.

So even if I do not need to shovel snow or put on winter clothes, I had to experience what the New Year brought me, like for all of you.  January started with a BOOM in all kinds of directions, and I am now trying to navigate how I will spend my time the next eleven months of this year.

The year started off with a lot of demands of my time, an emotional blow to the heart and some minor medical issues.  All of a sudden I sat with a "to-do-list" so large that I did not even know where to start.  I am used to being my own boss, and with some new responsibilities I had to rethink.  To prioritize correctly and manage my time plus energy became my biggest challenge.

I wanted to take on my new responsibilities with a clear head.  To do so, I needed to center myself emotionally.

The other day when the demands and tasks seemed too overwhelming. I did what I have done so many times before.  I closed the computer, turned off the phone, and put away all the papers that were spread around me.  I stepped outside to our front lawn and saw the beauty in front of me.

With several deep breaths, I saw everything clearly and smelled the goodness around me.  The salty ocean, the lush bushes and the magical sky were all there for me to take in with all my senses.

The cool evening air calmed my mind and stilled my emotions.  I walked back inside to not just do, but also to be.