Learning to embrace the wisdom of the shifting seasons
#40 - How my first Dakota Winter taught me to release my fear of the unknown
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”
— Jim Bishop
During the Summer months it was a treat to wear shorts and a t-shirt all day. The Sun tanned my skin, and danced in my eyes.
It is October now, and the dog and I bundle up for our morning walks. His leash wraps around my waist so my hands can keep each other warm within the front pocket of my hoodie.
Together we embrace the palpable Autumn shift as fallen Oak leaves crunch beneath our feet. But I did not always perceive the striking beauty of this time of year.
When I first moved to South Dakota in 2021, I lamented the end of Summer. I had built some Winter experience in Kentucky with my Mother prior to relocating, and though there was much snow and ice, the temperature in the Bluegrass State never dropped below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
As a fresh face with a long beard in a new town, some Dakota locals were intrigued by me. There was a magnetism in my smile which drew them in to share advice of all kinds.
In the farm store one day during late Summer, a local woman found out I had only been living in town a few months and gave me preparation tips for the oncoming Winter.
She told me to expect temperatures of -20 to -30 degrees, and giggled as my eyes glazed over in realization.
I grinned and told her I was eager to learn "how to Winter", but on a subconscious level I was terrified of what was to come.