Learning to Read

With darkness arriving at 5pm, it feels like the earth has slowed its spinning. My circadian rhythm has me, with nothing pressing to do in the dark, learning to read again. I don’t mean, of course, that I actually lost the skill of reading, I just lost the time to keep my eyes open enough to read more than a paragraph or two. This is the nature of seasonality and we are lucky enough to live within its confines.

It’s one of the things I love about my job. With schedule dictated by the sun and the relative warmth it creates (no need to rise at 5am since it’s too cold to get anything done outside until 9 or 10), I get to rediscover the pleasure of books each winter. I’ve already plowed through several books this season and we’re still harvesting and packing for markets! I’m three books ahead of our book club reading, which usually has been scrambling to finish or even get it half read before the gathering.

Each morning I wake up (not at 5), completely rested, despite staying “up late” (like 9 or 10pm) reading into the night. This is what makes the spring and summer worth it. Those 6-day work weeks, trying to cram some fun and all the house/yardwork into Sundays. The early mornings and late evenings. The struggle to keep sane. It’s all about this time here in front of the woodstove, a kitten on my feet, and a book in my hands. This is the balance that winter brings to us, and I am ever so grateful for it.