It’s not as though I relish pain.

It is really cold here in Minnesota.  It is in the double digits below zero.  My grand old house, full of windows and never apt to kill us because of carbon monoxide poisoning due to its leaky-sieve ways, is working mightily to hold warmth.  My car responds with an are-you-kidding-me groan when I start it up.  Sweaters and Smart Wool socks are the arraignment of choice.

It’s really cold.  And, it is stunningly powerful, this cold.  It is reminder that living in Minnesota cannot be done without a goodly dose of humility.  We are able to live in this wild place only if we are aware that it has teeth in the form of mosquitos, wild critters, and deep deep freeze.

We can domesticate so much.  This cold is not one of those things.

So finding warmth is a must.  Shelters across the city are full to capacity.  Energies are put to creature survival needs.  Those of us out and about assess the bundled up presence of others and together we have a sense of the power of enduring while facing the challenge.

I don’t relish the pain.  But I do relish the reminder that I am a creature alive on the land and respect for my limits is a must.

I’m blessed to have home, blessed to fear not about finding warmth, blessed to be reminded that I’m guest in the grand gift that is Minnesota.