MARI SELBY: Digging out my car is finished. The sidewalks are clear, but the roads are still treacherous. There is nowhere to go, so I sit by my office window and contemplate one hundred year old pine trees, their branches bent with snow.

Dark-eyed Juncos peep out of forsythia vines , and the veggie garden is buried under 10 inches of powder. The ever-present squirrels are missing, staying cuddled up with their food stores waiting for the sun to shine. I hear the ravens calling a warning to all the little ones that hawks are scouting for food.

I am grateful to live in a snug brick house where the trees and bushes are background for my contemplations. As I reflect upon this frozen scene I think, "Oh, to be a bear." I could hibernate under the frozen world waiting for the soft, sweet tendrils of spring to waft across my nose. Instead, I am caught between the demands of work, telephones, emails, and finding the next right step in my day. All around me I feel Thich Nhat Hanh's suggestion, "Smile, breathe and go slowly".

There are multiple layers of beauty and symbolism to this piece of music.
Jurassic Park Theme (1000% Slower) by birdfeeder is licensed under a Creative Commons License As we listen we can remember the desperation of the characters in the movie as a counterpoint to the liquidity of this version. We breathe more deeply as we rest lightly in this music.

Thomas Merton : "Some of us need to discover that we will not begin to live more fully until we have the courage to do and see and taste and experience much less than usual...There are times, then, when in order to keep ourselves in existence at all we simply have to sit back for a while and do nothing. And for a man who has let himself be drawn completely out of himself by his activity, nothing is more difficult than to sit still and rest, doing nothing at all. The very act of resting is the hardest and most courageous act he can perform."

Moving slowly is not my forte. I even hurry to get into a meditative state. However I know with every fibre of my being that unless I slow down, I will miss the clues I need to understanding whether or not I am indeed headed in the right direction.

Clues about my spiritual and physical direction constantly surround me. I hear, feel, and see them when I am moving slowly enough to perceive them. These clues appear in friend's comments on Facebook, as my dog Lily Moon's play in the snow, or as changes in the weather. Today's biggest clue: winter is the season to move slowly - not just because of the snow and ice.

My environment reflects back that slowness; the chestnut trees are sleeping, the sunshine is a pale lemony yellow, and the birds only venture out to supplement their food supplies. These long nights are perfect for recording dreams in a my dream journal, and for resting deeply and rejuvenating my body and mind. As the snow and sleet move in again, I am reminded that there is nowhere to go, only to be here now.

This week's exercise: How do you rush through your life? What are the ways you can include contemplation in your daily life? What does the following quote mean to you? Serge King : "You have a purpose, and your Higher Self will see to it that you carry out that purpose, whether it's done in a few hours or a hundred years, whether you do it kicking and screaming all the way or having a delightful time." You will be guided in the right direction always without fail - if you listen.