SNOW

For many, January is a time for snow. Some dislike and try to avoid it while others look forward to a good snow.

THE TIME I LIKE BEST

The time I like best is 6am

when the snow is 6 inches deep

which I'm yet to discover

'cause I'm under the covers

fast, fast asleep.

        Roger McGough 

THE SNOW MAN

One must have a mind of winter

To regard the frost and the boughs

Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time

To behold the junipers shagged with ice,

The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of January sun; and not to think

Of any misery in the sound of the wind,

In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land

Full of the same wind

That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,

And, nothing himself, beholds

Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

        Wallace Stevens

LIGHT YEAR

The new year has arrived, when many of us take stock and make resolutions to change various aspects of our selves.

 

Light Year, by Gail Collins-Ranadive, asks us to participate in the process of being aware of the natural world and, rather than self-centered choices, to make earth-conscious and season-conscious choices.

"The ancient precept, 'Know thyself,' and the modern

                 precept 'Study nature,' become at last one maxim. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson  

In Light Year, which follows the seasons, Gail Collins-Ranadive asks stimulating questions, taking the reader deeper into their own feelings and attitudes in relation to planet Earth, "to pay attention to the seasonally-changing natural world beyond our ego selves." For each of us, especially writers, these questions become writing prompts.

During this era of climate change and climate crises, Light Year takes us away from feeling despair by giving us a map to action, to being present to Earth in mutually-beneficial ways.

Gail Collins-Ranadive's winning style is gentle and thought-provoking. Light Year is a tender and compassionate invitation to a yearlong journey toward an eco-centered and eco-friendly worldview.

Light Year, by Collins-Ranadive (Wayfarer Books, 2022) is available on Amazon and at wayfarerbooks.org.