I have to hand it to the bears. They certainly know how to get through the winter ... just hibernate. Sleep through it until spring. There have certainly been days already this winter when that sounds like a perfectly good idea. Even the trees are hunkered down deep in their roots waiting for the earth to thaw and the first stirrings of life return to start their journey towards the light. I've often wondered, though: Do the trees dream? Do the bears dream?
Many Native American teachings look on winter as the dream time, a time to renew their connection to the earth, to their heritage, and to plan for the spring. People sit around the fire and listen as the elders tell stories about their history, their lineage, and the lessons the young ones need to learn not only to survive but to pass on to their own children some day. I can imagine that many of those young ones, upon hearing the stories, would curl up at night and dream of great battles won or being successful at a great hunt. Dreams are our spirits way of telling us a story.
Thinking about those traditions makes me want to shut off the TV, phone, laptop, tablet, etc., and sit round a fire - live or virtual, in my case - and and have my own dream time, a time to tell my own stories for future generations of my tribe/family to share. What a perfect time, when the days are dark and the wind is howling outside, to tuck a blanket around ourselves of memories and stories from our own past and set them down for our children and grandchildren to share. The Native people would say that what we say and do now will affect the next 7 generations so it is up to us to make what we share something that will help them grow into who they are meant to be. Maybe one day they will take our stories and have their own dream time one dark and cold winter to see them through to the spring of their lives.
And so it is.
