December in the mountains is a time that can go a couple of ways. Some years winter has already begun and snow is piled up so high there is no place to put it anymore. The air might be cold and crisp with a bite on the nose while out in the elements. Other times the sun still warms the ground and shines on shrubs and trees that look all look happy to have the sun. You can tell that they are still waiting for snow, the source of the water that they need to grow and reach new heights once spring comes again. One thing is always certain, the days grow shorter. This is an example of patience in nature. Nature waits to see how things will roll and it just doesn’t matter because whatever happens, it will work out alright. Nature allows the process to unfold and does not attempt to change anything because there is no control in nature, only process. In order for nature to continue in a process in a healthy way two things have to be considered. Nature needs no help but it cannot have any interference. You can’t speed the onset of snow but you can’t stop it either. You can wait for it to drop but you can’t make it drop. Since we have to live in the snow we know that preparation for winter is crucial to our physical comfort and well being. To spend a winter without foresight and preparation is foolish. Once the snow falls you can no longer collect, split and stack wood. You can no longer effectively paint your home or maintain the roof. You can’t burn wood in a chimney that has not been cleaned and supplies around the house are better acquired at a time before the storms shut down the road. Looking for a flashlight in the dark during a power outage is much more difficult than placing one in a handy spot before the storm.
Nature will always have an effect on your body. Health has a lot to do with allowing your internal environment to react appropriately to the effects of your external environment. A simple way to think about this is to realize that you put on a coat before you get cold instead of waiting until your core temperature is falling dangerously below normal. To take it a step further ask yourself if your health habits are in reaction to something or in preparation for something. Preparation is always easier, more effective and proactive as opposed to reactive. Reaction to the effects of nature infers that you don’t respect the fact that nature will always continue on its own terms. You can have a positive, healthy approach to nature by understanding that anything that you can do now to prepare for health will be so much more effective than reaction to disease. To wait for disease and then react is like trying to gather wood and start a fire after the snow has fallen. Take steps now to protect your health and understand that nature will always proceed, we just don’t know how and when until it happens.
