Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

The days are beginning to shorten. If I believe the weatherperson we’ve lost a minute and a half between morning and evening every day since June 21, when the sun was at its apex. A minute and a half times 53 days is a lot of sunlight, but there is even more than that to disappear before December 21, when we begin the reverse process.

It saddens me. Not because I dislike winter’s cold and dark days. Rather, because I must make the shift from outside to inside, from using the sun as a clock for my activities to using a real clock for my hibernating routine.

In summer, I try to be outdoors as much as possible. I waken to sunlit skies and revel in late evening sunsets. I exercise outside, whether it is biking or walking or rollerblading. In winter, I accept the indoor routine and am grateful that planting and weeding and mowing are done. For exercise, I turn to free weights and a stationary bike. In either season, I write just as I breath.

As it says in Ecclesiastes, “to everything there is a season.” It’s just that the winter season comes upon us more quickly than anticipated. And it stays in our hearts and homes longer than we might want. So, without further ado, I shall go outside and play in the sun.