It's the depth of winter here in Minnesota. Not to worry; we're hearty
souls. Generally, we don't let that stop us from enjoying life, even
life outdoors—which, by the way, is still full of great beauty and life.
A person's need for discovery and wonder
doesn't get left at the door like the parka
and boots.
Nonetheless, below zero wind chills conspire with the sun's quitting at
4:30 to make us spend far more time cooped up inside than we do in the
summer. Some- times we have no choice but to hunker down for a couple of
days and wait out a blizzard and the arctic deep freeze that so often
follows.
But a person's need for discovery and wonder doesn't get left at the
door like the parka and boots. Even indoors we're curious; our child
side still needs to play, learn and experience delight.
Of course, there's always TV, a good book or the Internet to help pass
the long, dark hours. But these, I submit, are remote, second-hand
experiences. They may entertain or inform us, but do they nourish a
curious soul?
Even indoors I'm always surprised and delighted at how many real-life,
present-moment natural wonders await discovery when I'm willing to look
with care. Here are just a few examples:
Study the strokes and patterns; marvel
at the feathered crystalline brushwork;
imagine how the artist determined where
each element in the composition would go.
Could there be a more elegant artistic expression than the
crystalline masterpieces Nature renders with water? Outdoors, of course,
it’s snow; whether seen as flake or drift, it's the most sublime of
sculptures. Indoors, though, relegated to the two-dimensional “canvas”
of frozen glass, she once again outdoes herself.
Look closely at frost; study the strokes and patterns; marvel at the
feathered crystalline brushwork; imagine how the artist determined where
each element in the composition would go. Touch it; see how ephemeral
it is. See if you can melt it without quite touching it.
Perhaps the one thing that changes most when our world moves indoors is
our appreciation of things that live and grow. Instead of marveling at
trees, shrubs or flowers in their natural, wild setting, we devise ways
to shrink, capture and confine them in pots that clamber close to
windows. Try not to take them for granted. These plants, for their
staunch, surrogate duty, are all the more worthy of our notice.

For
our indoor animal fix, we turn from summer's chancy thrill of spotting
critters in their own realms and on their own terms to the certainty of
specimens we've shaped to our convenience, bred to need no more than our
care and attention. Take advantage of these most opportune occasions to
relish your closeness to these dear creatures.
The subtle white, comet-tail streaks suggest the
seeds have streaked out from center. And there
they’ve landed, on the vivid, glossy surface of
the fruit, each cupped in its own tiny crater.
Instead of discovering a strange new fruit or nut on a wild plant
somewhere in the woods, we learn in winter to explore things closer at
hand, perhaps things so common we never thought to look at them with
wonder. For example, have you stopped to appreciate the elegance of
line, color, form and texture in a freshly sliced strawberry?
See how the flesh morphs from furry, white, womb-like core into sweet,
solid crimson. Note the subtle white, comet-tail streaks that suggest
the seeds have streaked out from center. And there they’ve landed, on
the vivid, glossy surface of the fruit, each cupped in its own tiny
crater.
Would you agree that discovery and wonder need not be lost on the
home-bound? See if you can find "wild" living critters like meal worms,
spiders or perhaps the occasional holdover ladybug. See what you can
discover about another person. Play with soap bubbles or static
electricity. Explore the attic. Cook something. Try to...ah-h-h...wait a
second...whoa-a-a!...I'm sorry, I have a fire going in the fireplace,
and there's this...amazing bright blue...tongue of flame…