Nurture

I deeply appreciate the milder weather this December. Life has been full (adding house projects to the holiday season may be the last straw), and I have been feeling behind for the last six month. The milder temperatures seem like a gift from nature, offering up an incentive to get outside and walk or rake out a few more leaves from the flower beds, anything to breathe in fresh air and nurture the soul.

The need for tender loving care has never been so evident to me. Without it, our stress level continues to rise, our exhaustion dominates our well being, and personal relationships suffer. Of course, nurturing can mean very different things to people. I can't tell you how much I love it when my husband cooks a meal or how rejuvenating a long nap on the weekend can be for me.

I have been observing the nurturing that even occurs between animals. I appreciate how the male cardinal will sit side-by-side with the female cardinal on the feeder and pass seed directly into her beak. Or, how the squirrels groom one another outside the patio doors before tumbling away and tussling to race up the tree in some intricate form of primal communication and domination.

Even Freddy demands his needs be met, when he feels under the weather. A periodically recurring virus will rear its ugly head and his ears will become hot for a day or two. Then, this feline, who often feigns disinterest, follows me around the house, waiting for me to sit so that he can jump into my lap and find some comfort.

So,I am reminded this holiday season to nurture myself and those I love, especially in this process of refurbishment. Before the snow begins to fly, demanding we bundle up in layers of winter gear to depart the house for even the quickest errand, I will try to find moments each day for myself and those I love -- the gift that won't be found in a box wrapped with a bow but does make spirits merry and bright in the most authentic way.