Many winter mornings, I wouldn’t go out on a walk if it wasn’t for Gracie, our golden retriever. Some days it’s so cold that our walks are very short.  The cold wind isn’t comfortable, and it makes my nose run. Once I’m out the door forging slowly through snow, there is so much beauty.

I wonder if heading out into a cold winter morning may have some things in common with plunging into cold water.  Research indicates repeatedly plunging into cold water for two minutes a day apparently helps build courage. Apparently, it helps with resilience to deal with the times when the cold waves of life leap out and drench us.  Perhaps pushing through that first unpleasant plunge into the cold has some of the same value.  In the photo below, Gracie is hesitating stepping into a deep drift.  She plunged in leaping and then played in big jumps in a circle.   This picture is up on our photography website at https://phil-rispin.pixels.com/featured/winter-walk-karen-rispin.htmlhttps

Wishing you beauty in the harder bits of your life.