Tonight, I sat out by a well-built fire with some people I love. There was so much imagery tonight connecting nature and the crazy big universe with life and the living.

The glow of the fire around our faces on this cold evening allowed us to see what was important despite the chill of the night- that is each other. Then my mind started drifting. Being outside and vulnerable to the night is much like the walk of life. You don’t know what will come your way. There are good times and bad times. There are good apples and bad ones…. but that’s part of the journey. You have to allow yourself to step outside the zone you find the most comfort with in order to grow. You have to embrace the darkness despite what may be out there trying to prey on you in order to gain that strength you never knew you had. Sometimes you have to get a shot to the heart out of nowhere to see just how priceless that beauty really is in those who really love you at both your highest peaks and lowest valleys.

As I sat and looked up to the sky, I noticed how pretty and bright the stars were. It was almost as if they literally just began to shine, and this was their first time on stage, so they were killing it as they earned every bit of that standing ovation they would get from all who wished to behold their free beauty.That’s the kind of beauty that really leaves you speechless. When you realize you are just a dot on a map, it’s truly humbling- because even so, one dot can make such an overwhelming difference in this world…. if we can connect our dots despite our differences.

What stood out to me the most was how most of the trees held no leaves. They were bare and completely nude in the wild, unashamed and unafraid. Yet, they realized this was not their season to shine right now. Their 15 minutes of fame will come later in life- during the cycle of the next season, and they accepted that and were fine with letting the stars have their time to shine. In the spring and summer when the leaves grow out again, the sky will be more covered. Although the stars will still be there, they will give the blossoms and trees some time to perform.

We could learn so much from nature. She sits there every day, so willingly trying to teach us something as simple as being humble and generous throughout our lives. Let our own souls shine, but don’t hog the stage. We all have our time to shine, but when it’s time for someone else to sprout or entertain the world with their talents, step back and be happy for them. Let them go.

The smoke flowing up from the fire was such a vivid reminder tonight that there is a land out there past what our eyes can see. The smog from the fire did not float down… it flowed up. Such is life. It can only go up from here. Through the peaks and the valleys, there is something greater that we will rise to in our lives…. but we have to make it there first. The best is yet to come. Oftentimes, maybe we see our dreams and realize in our minds what it would take to get there, but perhaps some give up too quickly as they fail to see that you have to climb to get to the top of that mountain before you get to see the view. Even the smoke from the fire must wait for the coals to get hot enough before releasing itself when the time is right and being set free.

Winter is a reminder to us that we are all mortals. We are seeds which have been sewn, and we are grown and then allow ourselves to either wilt and wither or blossom and give to this world what talents we have to offer- in hopes that other buds can do the same.

Winter reminds us that although people look at death as dark and eerie, it is actually a time for growth and reflection.

A loved one dies, and a piece of us seems to have died when they did. However, winter serves as that reminder to us that we can allow those people to live on in our hearts and souls through our actions, customs and traditions. Winter means that your soul has time to reflect and blossom into a new and colorful season.

Maybe that’s why the best feeling to my feet are when they are completely bare and planted firmly on the ground of that mountain soil in which I call my home.

Don’t let the static get so loud during the day that you fail to hear the lovely music of the night.

It is well with my soul.