I spent a recent morning outside and was reminded of the beauty of a winter calm.

I find that each season has something to teach me and winter did its job well. I know it’s not officially winter yet and some would argue that what we have in central Texas is not a real winter. I won’t argue with that, but in my mind it’s winter and it’s quite real.

I was out before dawn and in the dark, especially if there’s no wind blowing, you can hear everything! I would occasionally hear twigs snapping or leaves rustling and imagined a small animal starting to move about. Was it a mouse or perhaps a cottontail rabbit? It was fun to hear it moving around; gradually coming closer and then farther.

As dawn approached and the light grew stronger, I could hear the birds begin their day. First, almost tentatively, one or two would begin to sing and then go quiet. As time went on, more joined in and eventually the air was full of bird song.

It was a little foggy that morning and that just added to the morning’s calm feeling.

These woods are in our back yard. They are a mixture of live oaks and cedar elms. Some of the live oaks stand out because they lean and curve. They remind me of the kid in school with poor posture who was always getting told to straighten up! The cedar elms don’t need to be told – they grow pretty straight.

Foggy Woods

Here’s a nice post oak which grows next to our house. The post oaks grow very tall and straight, unlike their cousins, the live oaks.

Foggy Post Oak

What did I learn? I learned, or was reminded, that sometimes it’s good to slow down and let the world bring you along. A dawn can’t be rushed. It has its own pace and timing and all your wishing that it would hurry is wasted. That’s a good lesson.