THE CARROTS SWEETER; THE STARS BRIGHTER

Journal Entry from 10/2021 :

Fall was being ushered in quickly - the temperature was persistent in its threats to freeze, and the sky was at the ready to cast down snow. As the days grew shorter my preparations for a night’s sleep in my car started earlier. The dropping temperatures warranted a bit more thought for how I would stay warm - An extra blanket, an extra layer, a beanie, and a pair of socks would be necessary. Wrapping myself in the back of my car I thought ahead to the morning knowing I’d awake to what I had went to sleep with - cold, dark.

I thought of the darkness while I fumbled for my headlamp in the morning and shivered thinking about the shock my bare skin would endure as I quickly climbed out of my sleeping bag and changed clothes. I knew my hands would quickly freeze as I assembled my camp stove and prepared breakfast. The steam from the boiling water mixed with my breath would cloud my vision making every task that much more difficult.

There was a bitterness to it all, yet a sweetness in the aftertaste. That cup of coffee and oatmeal in the morning warmed the soul a bit differently. The dark nights and mornings held the brightest stars - stars that were there for me when I went to bed and motivated me to climb out of my warm cocoon to pee during the middle of the brisk night. And those stars would be the first to greet me in the morning, like a friend who stays by your side. The comforting embrace received from first light of day was even more tender and warming. And those carrots I had religiously kept stocked in my car became sweeter as they froze beside me in the night. 

Harshness still holds treasure if you look for it; embracing bitterness still brings sweetness if you’re willing to taste it. When the nights are darker the stars are brighter, and when the nights are colder, the carrots are sweeter.