Winter

As of yesterday (Sunday), daylight saving ended. That means clocks here shifted back an hour and the implication is that the sun rises earlier and sets earlier too. By 5pm, it's dark and it feels like it's 8.

Outside my window stands a tree which was green with leaves when I first came. Gradually the colour turned to a reddish, orangie shade which I particularly liked. Later on, the autumn leaves littered the otherwise dull tarmac and when I looked out of my window another time, the leaves were gradually shedding. Today when I peeked out, what was left of the tree was just the thin branches, swaying in the wind, looking quite desolate. I should have photographed it while it metamorphosed.

I initially thought of the barren looking tree as being in a sad and pathetic state. But right when I formed this thought, something else struck me - this condition is not terminal, because going through the four seasons is part of the life of a tree. Winter is commonly associated with the cold and lifeless environment; yet winter is but one of the seasons consequent to the Earth's tilt.

It's a little like life isn't it? Once in a while, we go through our dark winters and we feel so entrapped and imprisoned. It always seem so final, so definitive of our life. In those moments, it is hard to imagine that the sun will shine again and the trees will have leaves once more. Perhaps sometimes it is good to experience our own winter. Winter could well be part of God's plan. It is not necessarily a bad thing, it is part of the circle of life. Winter experiences are different from summer ones. Not neccesarily worse, just different.

As I enter the winter season here, I hope to open my whole self to the surroundings, to open my heart to God. And perhaps, just perhaps I may be able to appreciate the essence of winter even more fully.