Getting Into Nature at Home - Winter Style

One of the themes emerging from the Black Women at Home Project interviews is the importance of access to nature. Whether it’s prioritizing having outdoor space, natural light flooding in through the windows, a new found connectedness to Mami Wata living close to the beach, or tending to houseplants, nature is an important part of how Black women find healing and restoration at home.

Whether it’s prioritizing having outdoor space, natural light flooding in through the windows, a new found connectedness to Mami Wata living close to the beach, or tending to houseplants, nature is an important part of how Black women find healing and restoration at home.

For Northern hemisphere dwellers, the winter time can make us feel disconnected from nature. The cold weather along with dreary periods of rain or snow encourage that hibernating energy. Leaving home can feel difficult. Yet, while we nest and cozy up in slipper socks around the house and nestle in blankets to read a book, Mother Earth continues to provide and sustain us. We must not forget Her.

She is feeding us nourishing food, still providing us with air to breath, water to drink and cleanse ourselves with. We see and hear fewer birds, but many of them are still around. When I go for a drive I keep feeling shocked when I see a flock of geese in an open field pecking for food. Those moments remind me that even in the conditions of winter, life is still active. The stillness of the season is not death.

In February my husband goes on an annual skiing and snowboarding trip with his boys. This group of mostly Black men will hit the slopes, embrace the frigid temperatures, and find joy and play in the snowy landscape. My daughter asked if she and I could go away again too while he’s gone. I was happy to say yes and immediately imagined escaping winter’s often shuddering embrace for nature that includes palm trees, warm beaches, and humid air.

How might I find joy in nature by following the cycles? That is, how can I find pleasure in winter’s nature? What would be different if I was present for the cold? What am I missing by pretending that this season is just a dud that should just be skipped by staying indoors as much as possible?

Nature is inescapable and the diversity in her seasons offers hardships and pleasures in each. Maybe my daughter and I will have a seaside vacation in a few weeks, taking in the chance to walk the winter beach and be embedded in the serenity of a scarcely populated town. Perhaps I’ll take more baths with frankincense oil to honor and receive the season’s healing. We can make an offering to Mami Wata and enjoy the element even in the Winter.