I love winter. I truly do. When the landscape is frozen over and it seems the sun barely climbs halfway over the horizon each day, that hushed feeling makes me more introspective and quiet. It's my time to (spiritually and emotionally) be "still," and regroup from the frenzy of fall and holiday activity. Physically, because the chill actually energizes me and clears my head, it's my time to reorganize and declutter, being as productive as possible around the interior of my home and trying to get everything cleaned up from those seasons. And I love the season for the reminder that God has ordained a "time for everything." In the words of one of my
favorite authors, Mireille Guiliano,
"Most of us really don’t have the choice to sit winter out. The fact is that not every bird gets to fly south. And I confess I wouldn’t want to. I love my morning walks in the winter, breathing the cool, crisp air, and I can’t imagine living in places without much seasonal variation. When the passing of the year doesn’t impress itself upon my senses, I am, in some profound sense, lost."I've mentioned before that I'm a very seasonally-oriented person. I need the firm impression of the rhythm of each season as time passes. Especially when it comes to food! I love to cook and eat food that is in season, and I've come to realize that the winter versions of things that grown in the Northern Hemisphere, even if they are flown in daily from South America, just don't fit that rhythm (nor is the taste, or lack thereof, worth it to me). So I don't eat a lot of fresh tomatoes in winter, for example. But I do try to work brighter elements of flavor, like lemon, fresh parsley, fennel and citrus zest into a lot of my winter dishes.
That said, while I wholeheartedly embrace winter and all it brings, I do have my little moments of rebellion! Whenever I'm chilly I love things that remind me of warmer months, and I try to work these into my daily routine to keep my mood bright and provide variety. I love scented bath products in general, and as we all need a break from winter-dry skin, I thought I would share a few favorites with you.
By my sink I keep a bar of
magnolia-scented soap that I found in a shop in Savannah this summer. It smells exactly like the real thing and has always been a favorite scent of mine. As a kid, I spent hours and probably nearly days playing in a huge magnolia in my Nana's yard.
My friend Ashley introduced me to
this product years ago, and I'm almost never without it. I am a HUGE lover of rosemary, both in body products and for use in cooking. A little of this delicious stuff goes a long way and the scent is at once energizing and relaxing!
My dear friend Julie introduced me to
this stuff recently, and it's like a quick mini-vacation to the South Seas. Here again, a little goes a long way. The scent reminds me of warm summer nights, and it's great for smoothing winter skin.
Oh - and
this find has become my new favorite standby for bubble baths. After workouts especially, this is a great weeknight treat. No matter how frozen it is outside, soaking in a warm bath with coconut-scented bubbles takes me away!
So how about you guys? What's your favorite winter indulgence? Do you have a trick or a favorite product that chases away winter blahs?
Happy weekend! And stay warm!
Love, Dahrlin'
