Will there really be a morning?
Is there such a thing as day?
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were as tall as they?
–Emily Dickinson
At 4:03 pm in the mountain standard time zone, where I live, the sun passed directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. That was the moment when the North Pole was tilted furthest away from the sun, the winter solstice.
As I write this the last sunlight of the day brightens the clouds hanging low over the Jemez Mountains. It’s a darker, quieter, slower time of year. I try to pay closer attention to the details: a small drift of piñon pine cones scattered across the snow that fell last week, a cheery canyon towhee splashing in the heated birdbath.
I am always in a hurry to spot the first sign of spring, but here’s to taking a moment to appreciate the unique beauty of winter!