By Nancy Dorrans
“When winter winds are piercing chill / And through the hawthorn blows the gale / With solemn feet I tread the hill / That over-brows the lonely vale.”
“Woods in Winter” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The piercing chill this January spread far and wide across our country! My latest adventure began when I flew to Tennessee to visit my dad on January 19th. I had changed my flight to depart ahead of a pending storm. When I landed it was snowing in Knoxville and sunny and 40 degrees in Portland. What is going on?
The gale blew the piercing chill down, around, and across our country. Snow fell from southeast Texas through Louisiana and into parts of Mississippi and Alabama. Meanwhile fires still burned in Southern California. My great nieces in Tennessee had a few days off school due to the “extreme cold” – not snow!
Combating the Chill
Just the day before I had attended the People’s March in Portland on January 18th. I showed up, marched again, and connected with friends old and new… It feels like trust and belonging are all around me, in my circles anyway, and that hope is still in the air here in Portland, Maine!
The day after I flew to Tennessee was Martin Luther King’s holiday. Ironically, it was the same day as the Presidential Inauguration. I noted the irony and felt the chill. What is going on? How did you feel?
What can I do to combat how I feel about the piercing chills this winter and the current political administration that I did not support?
Okay, I’m wrapping my head around the notion that “the best things in life aren’t political…” and, “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn,” (Hal Borland). According to an article in The Conversation, “…the main sources of human well-being are family, friends, meaningful work, hobbies, the arts, nature, spirituality and acts of kindness. None of these depend on political systems. We can cope with political distress by falling back on the best things in life.”
I’m going to do my best to “tread the hill” ahead and spend time with people and places that bring me joy. I’ll follow the experts’ advice and take a break from the news and technology, get more exercise and sleep… And, if and when it comes up, I’ll try and talk about the policies, not the people or the parties involved.
I’ll keep volunteering for New England Disabled Sports at Loon Mountain and attending First Parish Unitarian/Universalist congregation. I’ll support the good work First Parish is doing with the warming shelter and monthly community dinners. Also, through the Racial Justice Team, Climate Action Community, and the Wabanaki Ally Team for starters.
Shelter from the Storm
I’m also seeking shelter from the storm by listening to music. I went to see the movie “A Complete Unknown” on Christmas Day and was transported back in time.
The story is about Bob Dylan’s arrival in New York City in 1961. How he met Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and burst into legendary fame. In “Diamonds and Dust,” Joan Baez writes, “Well, you burst on the scene / Already a legend / The unwashed phenomenon / The original vagabond…” What was going on then? How did he feel?
Ever since, Dylan’s music and other favorite folk tunes and singers’ voices have been filling my feed. They take me straight back to my childhood. I grew up listening to my father singing the songs of the ’60s—Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and others. I played Pete Seger’s “Songs for Children” album over and over!
While I haven’t always understood or analyzed the lyrics, these songs have become a part of me. I cherish these memories, flowing like the blood in my veins. It feels good!
As my dear friend Hildegarde always says, “Music is medicine for the soul.” What about you? What are the best things in your life right now? How does it feel?
