The Wonder of a Winter's Day

It is February in New York. Some are mumbling about the cold. Others warn of stronger winds coming- winds that drive the cold though your winter coat; winds that will sting their ears despite their best efforts to adjust knit hats and tighten scarves. Crowds walk by me on Broadway silently, bearing the assault. They see spring clothes (New Skinny Jeans in pastels colors)  in the windows of the Gap and dream of warmer days. One man’s misery can be another’s opportunity. I am not panicked. I am calm and hopeful! I read a poem by Robert Frost, Winter Eden, about the wonder of a winter’s day:

A winter Eden is an alder swamp

Where conies now come out to sun and romp

As near a paradise as it can be

And not melt snow or start a dormant tree

I am not willing to wait until spring for snow to melt and cold to fade. I decide to walk from my Upper West Side apartment to work on the East Side. I will cross the park. It is 27 but the sun is shining. It warms my face but it leaves the park a white winter wonderland. The sun makes the snow look like it is sprinkled with diamonds. There is no slush- scourge of New York winters.

Judaism celebrates the miracle of waking in our morning prayers.We thank God for our soul and  for returning us from our sleep (Elohai neshama) . We read prayers that remind us about thewonder of our bodies where so many things have to work to keep us going (Birchot Hashahar). We remember that we are temporary and that God is eternal. Lesson: We need to be grateful for every day (modeh ani) . We are not just to rise. We are to open our eyes to wonder.

So I am out and about. I take the train to 72th and then head through Central Park. I walk by the mosaic that honors John Lennon called Imagine. I walk down the hill, my eyes look up and down ,being careful not to slip on the odd sheet of ice. I raise my head and see the park open up below. I walk to a grand boulevard lined with park benches and statues of writers like Sir Walter Scott, Roberts Burns and near the exit to 59th Street, William Shakespeare.

I have been watching a PBS series called Uncovering Shakespeare. It explores 6 plays through the eyes of an actor that played a lead (Ethan Hawke played Macbeth) or a director who shaped a production. These narrators open my eyes and uncover an old love affair I have had with the writer. One thing has led to another. My winter romp with Shakespeare has snowballed, I have been reading Steven Greenbelt’s Will in the World about Shakespeare’s life. I went to see Much Ado about Nothing at the Duke Theatre. I have been finding myself reaching for old books of plays on my bookshelf. The pages aredog-eared, the columns have notes and there is the odd page marks. The page marks are faded but they bring back some sharp memoires of student life. I spent 1970 at Epsom College in Surrey England studying Shakespeare for A level exams. I was the only American in my class (nickname- The Big Yank). This flurry of Shakespeare activity has helped be uncover the wonder that I discovered when I first immersed myself in this strange language. Standing in front of the statue of my hero it all comes together. Shakespeare is not easy. You need to learn some things about his world. You need to train your ear to hear the poetry. You need to acquire a taste. Not easy, but worth the price.

The gifts of a winter walk are not always easy. You have to start earlier. You need to dress with care. You need to keep an eye open for moments of wonder while watching for a patch of ice.Sometimes you are stopped in your tracks by a statue like Shakespeare. At others times the gifts of a winter’s day are more subtle. The way the blue sky frames the building on the East side, a dog on a jail break, running across the lawn pulling their leash or some birds resting peacefully beak to beak like young lovers on a park bench. The poet, Robert Frost has trained himself  to see the wonder:

A feathers hammer gives a double knock

The Eden day is gone by two o’clock.

An hour of winter’s day may seem too short

To make it worth life’s while to wake and sport.

How do you make the winter seem shorter. Savor the joys of winter. Seize those sunny winter hours. Get up early. Say a prayer to get yourself moving. Prepare yourself for wonder. It’s worth it.