Warming Up Inside

Once inside, you slip off the heavy coat and hang it on a peg beside the door
Then, you unwrap your scarf and drape it over the coat
Leaving your boots in the entryway
The cabin is small and welcoming
But the living room, kitchen and bedroom
Just past the entryway, you find a comfortable sofa
And a matching armchair
A stack of books rests on the side table
Next to a cardboard box holding a jigsaw puzzle
In the corner of the room, a guitar rests upright on a stand
Beside an antique record player and a nice collection of albums
The polished wooden body of the instrument gleams in a flickering light
The glow draws your gaze to the opposite wall
Where blue and orange flames crackle and snap in an old stone fireplace
A stack of cut logs and a bucket of kindling rest on the hearth
The fragrance of the oak wood intermingles with the sweet scent of a festive pine bough
Laid across the mantlepiece
On a sideboard near you is an impressive selection of tea
And a mismatched assortment of mugs
You choose a ceramic one
Which is painted with a classic winter scene
A red fox trots through a snowy forest
While a bird watches from above
You wonder where the fox would go
If it could keep running beyond the edge of the mug
Out into the crisp winter night
Now, it's time to pick the perfect tea
There are several tins lined up on the sideboard
Each one has a tiny folded paper sign in front bearing its name
The first is called "Winter Wonderland"
You open the tin and breathe in the fragrance of its contents
First, a cooling wave of peppermint floods your senses
It's followed by a touch of chocolate and a hint of vanilla
You appreciate the soothing aroma that reminds you of snow falling on pine trees
Carefully, you close the first tin and move onto the second
"Apple Pie"
Notes of nutmeg and allspice play together in your nose
Along with the warming fragrance of dried apple pieces and cinnamon sticks
The third tin brings a smile to your face
It's called "Sugar and Spice"
And smells of candied orange peel, cloves, brown sugar and cranberries
Each one calls to the mind memories of winters past
Time spent with loved ones or relaxing alone on a night like this
After considering them all
You choose the tea whose luscious scent lingers most prominently in your nose
You fill a small metal infuser with the loose leaves and set it in your mug
Then you pour a stream of hot water over it
Steam rises from the warm liquid, lightly dampening your cheeks
You raise the mug to your nose and inhale deeply
It's sweet, spicy and bold
After letting it steep for a minute or two, you take a sip
Soon, you feel the tea warming you from inside out
At this moment, there's nowhere you'd rather be
This cabin is a place where your mind and body can truly rest
Within these walls it's just you, the fireplace and the comfy furniture
There's nothing you have to do but settle in and relax
With that in mind, you make your way over to the sofa
A few throw pillows are scattered across it
Along with a thick fleece blanket draped over the back
You sit and move around a bit
Until you're in the most comfortable position
The cushions are soft and conform to the shape of your legs
Setting your mug on the side table
You pull the blanket over you
And adjust the pillows behind your back
Once you're settled
You pick up the mug and use it to warm the palms of your hand
And then you gaze into the fire
Watching how the flames roll and ripple over the thick oak logs
You can smell a hint of wood smoke and hear the occasional pop and hiss
As the fire burns through sap and pockets of air in the logs
"There's something timeless about gazing into a fire," you think
You imagine people generations ago doing the very same thing
Perhaps they thought too about people who had come before them as they looked into the flames
Fire stirs deep feelings within
The need for warmth, community and light
Sitting here, your mind wanders back through the years
You consider the passage of time
You think of all the people who have changed your life
These memories fill you with a sense of belonging, which you cherish
You have a place in this world and it's right here, exactly where you are
A light wind picked up outside the cabin
You can hear it whistling through the pine
Snowflakes patter against the window panes
Frosting the corners of the glass with arcs of white
Your mind drifts with the blowing snow
Over all that's happened and all the possibility the future holds
As you thought before, winter brings with it a chance for new beginnings
With every gust of wind that tosses the snowflakes up and down
You feel a weight lift from your shoulders
Your attention returns to the here and now
To the cabin, the fireplace and the mug of hot tea you hold in your hands
You sink deeper into the pillows behind you
You feel grateful for this moment
You're safe, warm and content