Sometimes it’s hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it’s 85 degrees and humid—it's felt more like June than December this past week. (Bah, humbug!) But this morning when I went out to walk the dog, it was raining. Behind this rain, they say, is a cold front, my two favorite weather words here in Florida. Much better than “hurricane watch,” for sure.
In the meantime, I use my snowman mug (snow woman, really) for my morning coffee, and decorate my house with little things that remind me that it is, somewhere, winter. Sure, I’m grateful that I don’t have to shovel snow, or de-ice my car. But right about now I’m real tired of wearing shorts and sweating every time I set foot outside my house. I’m ready for some winter weather, for a chance to wear jeans and my one jacket comfortably. To make soup for dinner and have a fire in the fireplace—all the cozy, autumn/winter things that mark the changing of the seasons.

Embracing the transitions of life—whether it’s something as simple as the changing seasons, or something more weighty, like a new job or a new relationship—can be one of life’s simple pleasures. Take things slowly. Enjoy the moment. Watch life unfold in all its mystery and beauty. I’m as guilty as anyone of rushing through my life without noticing what’s happening. And I'm also not a big fan of change!  In the coming year, I’m going to make an effort to stop that—to enjoy my life and its transitions and changes, even when we move back from winter to summer, when my son grows ever taller and my parents grow older. Each stage has its own value. It’s up to me to find it.