Musings: Open And Closed

We came to Florida in January 2004 and we have just experienced the longest freezing cold weather since arriving here.  The thermometer on my sheltered back porch lanai registered thirty one degrees Fahrenheit at about 7.30am on several mornings.  It did not get above fifty eight degrees Fahrenheit at any time during the day.

Half of the trees, bushes and plants in my garden have been badly frost burned.  I am hoping that their roots have not been damaged and that there will be re-growth.  Thankfully I had covered the precious small lemon tree that my son Marco had bought me on a visit a few years ago and also my queen palm with some old flannel sheets.  However, it was not possible to cover everything in the garden.

But other damage was incurred that I did not really notice until the warm weather suddenly returned three days ago.  Regular readers all know that I had griped about the cold and the fact that I had been unable to get out into the lanai with my lap-top to do my writing.  I even referred to myself as being imprisoned by the wretched cold!

However, in my posting Musings-  Prisoner of the Cold I explained how I had beaten the cold at its own game and managed to write an article.  I felt very good about that and pleased that I had been able to “invite the Muse out to play”.  Feeling the creative juices flowing is so satisfying to me.  But there followed more days of nothing followed by a trip out of town for a few days.

Then I got up on Tuesday morning this week and noticed immediately the difference in the temperature inside the house.  At the same time I noticed that the heating wasn’t running – Alleluia!!  I almost ran to the back door to check out the thermometer.  Holy mackerel – fifty nine degrees Fahrenheit at 8am!!!  I turned off the house alarm and opened the lanai door;  no blast of cold.  I stepped outside and felt warm – in my jammies!!  Oh joy!

I quickly prepared my juice and grains, gathered my meditation books from the kitchen, and headed outside.  The birds were swooping over the fence and some were already at the feeder.  Two squirrels were on the grass under the feeder happily munching on the spill-over.  I stood and took in a deep breath as far down into the bottom of my lungs as I could get it to go.  It was real fresh air and it was quite warm, thank you very much:-).

In that moment I suddenly felt “open”.  My chest was expanded.  My shoulders were thrown back.  My face was lifted upwards.  I raised my arms above my head as far as I could reach in a big stretch.  I went up on my tippy-toes.  I felt magnificently alive for the first time in about ten days.  Even my heart felt happy.

In that moment it registered with me that I had been totally closed up during the period of freezing cold.  I looked back and realized that I had been in a “hunched-up” position against the cold.  My shoulders had been hunched forward.  My arms had, for a lot of that time, been wrapped around me.  And that was just when I was indoors!!  When I went outside I was always bundled up in heavy clothing and huddled up against the cold. 

All my energy had gone into dealing with the cold and I had been “closed”.  I too had suffered a “frost burn” of my own!  No wonder the creative juices had been unable to flow. I had been on physical and creative lock-down for about ten days; kind of under my own “old flannel sheets”.  Please God the warmth will remain and I will get to play with the Muse on a daily basis.