This isn’t the time of year we would typically call beautiful.
In its exposed starkness, everything has a sense of hunger and brittleness.
The alpacas are grumpy, and I hear more alarm cries amongst the birds.
While yesterday the geese were surprised by the ‘hardness’ of the lake when they tried to land.
Often our response to this sense of lack is to draw within ourselves with extra layers of protection.
Here, it is easy for our reactions to echo the barrenness around us. And perhaps we’re also exhausted and fearful that there isn’t enough to go around.
So maybe the first step is to notice without judgement.
And then to go gently with ourselves and each other to see a different kind of beauty.
~ In County Durham, in the northeast of England, where Steve’s family comes from, ‘famished’ and ‘starving’ are the colloquial words for being very cold.