Warmth in the Winter

Hello to whoever reads this. Im a blog virgin. OYE. So far so good. Well Id like to offer some thoughts on the upcoming winter season reflecting on keeping body and soul warm...

A brand new pair of winter boots, stylish and waterproof and soft and furry can warm your legs and feet. This leaves me feeling like oatmeal, cocoa and toasty toast. Those furry boots as they may bring joy to the greatful heart cannot warm the soul, just the little nubs of flesh and the feet and legs they dangle from. Furry boots cannot be compared to a furry warm body. A puppy would warm your feet by laying on them and may even lick your freezing toes with his warm tongue (aahh). A puppy can both keep you warm and warm your soul with his loyalty and his little loving puppy eyes looking up at you. AWWWE. Im feeling like oatmeal again, warm and mushy. A puppy is just one of the many ways to keep warm in the winter. My friend Mahoney has a body temperature that is higher than average. He is a very warm human being. Hes like a huge puppy and warms the body and the soul. Ok I hope your getting my point here. Warming for the winter= body warmth+soul warmth=ahhh.

I hear that soapstones are a great way to keep warm but they can cook your skin slowly overnight without you really knowing it for it is a slow burn when you come into contact with the stones too directly. My crazy farmer friend Homer tells me that he likes this way of keeping warm even though it cooks your body. Personally I would have trouble sleeping thinking I may wake up branded and sore. Yikes.

Theres heat that pumps through pipes and vents using fossil fuels etc. There is good old fasioned chopping down lovely trees and burning her body parts to keep warm. There is the penguin method of cuddling up in masses and taking turns being the cold ones toward the outside of the huddle. Bundling up in ten layers of clothes then wrapping up in blankets is good if you never have to move. Theres always Florida. Naaaah. Been there done that.

Its good to get really cold and then warm up again. My crazy farmer says he goes out to chop wood and gets all worked up and hot from chopping but its still so cold and then when he goes inside even though its not really that warm in his little shack it seems so much warmer then. I would take that moment to stick a few more logs on the fire and take a nap.

I think about my one friend Jen in Florida and the most delicious hot cocoa she makes. Its this concentrate recipe that has chocolate ice cream in it. Ahh. Its so heavenly, its like a big stick of butter! I think one of the ingredients is actually butter. Oh dear. Who knew? I did. Hot liquids are great for warming the body and when you get to have special recipes made by loving friends and family then it also warms the soul. See. Like homemade warm apple mead brewed over time and then warmed over a bonfire surrounded by friends and puppies. Aahh. Sharing soups and stews with friends, neighbors and family is great for the body and the souls warmth. (This is great for starving students, artists, and farmers or the homeless and poor in general. Soup kitchens need to make a big comeback).

I am greatful for those who live in a state of mind of community and family and who give and make it possible for the cycle to continue. This winter as we all gather round our fires and vents, as we all cuddle together for warmth, remember that while bodies can be warm, souls can be cold. More importantly consider that while bodies can be cold, souls can be warm and if not by fire or by vent may we warm eachothers souls with generosity, compassion, love and soup.