47 degrees, I took a predawn walk around the hood this morning, then sat at the firepit to warm up.   We rarely get cold weather here, so I like to get out in it as often as I can.  The cold shocks my system to a new level of awareness: the chill air on my skin, on my lips, against my teeth, into my lungs.  In the cold, I wear my hair down and tucked into my collar for a warm hairshawl.  The sensation of my own hair against my skin is new awareness for me, since at home I wear my hair up. Piling on layers of clothing gives me new awareness of my physical body: where I feel warmth, where I feel a breeze, where I feel free, where I feel restricted.  A tight sleeve makes me feel restricted and limited.  A heavy shoe makes me feel restricted but secure.   Having new sensations creates new thoughts.  Sitting in the cold — just like any other relatively unfamiliar event or behavior — evokes profound meditation for me.  A seeing of myself from an entirely different perspective.  The many looking outward from the one.   Today, I’ve allowed my thoughts to congest my sinuses to justify sleeping all day while my subscious works it all out for me.  I’ll oblige the Universe and do just that.

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