The bitter cold, the searing heat - nature’s whims dictate so much of our lives, detailing where and how we live. Even within the comfort of our homes, nature reminds us of its presence. A wildfire can engulf an entire neighborhood in hours. A tree crashing onto a power line can erase our sense of security. Floods reveal the destructive nature of our saving grace, water. We don’t dictate nature; we adapt to it.

It’s become a daily routine for me to take at least two walks or hikes a day - I find it helps me stay connected to the spiritual location where my home lies. When I wasn’t directly engaging with nature, I was more removed from my friends, neighbors, and community. The act of driving to work or the grocery store places us within our environments, but it doesn’t truly connect us to it - just the chore or act of doing something else. Focusing on nature helped me understand what nature needed from me.

Living in the northeastern United States provides me with the gift of experiencing all four seasons. In summer, I face relentless heat. Fall offers a breathtaking transformation as trees shed. Winter, my favorite season, brings stillness and surrender. And then spring arrives, ushering back sounds, colors, and green.

Winter, though harsh, holds a special significance. Against the cold and snow, all we can do is bundle up and brace ourselves. For the rest of nature, survival often means retreat or hibernation. The silence of walking winter is profound: a world hushed under ice and wind, where life pauses and clings to endurance. Resilience is always required to survive extremes.

How did earlier generations survive without modern comforts like electric heating? How much of our comfort today do we take for granted, knowing that the animals and plants around us scrape by on so little? Winter reveals the depth of our dependence on technology, as well as nature’s indifference to our existence. We are part of this system on earth, subject to its rules and rhythms - not the other way around.

We cannot control nature, but we can align ourselves with it. To thrive in this world, we must listen, learn, and adapt - not fight against. Especially when dealing with the most powerful force of it all: the very one that drives our existence today.