Locked Inside
It’s 65 degrees in North Carolina and sticky.
Not a wind of note to be found in recent days save an overnight front that came through and whose mild gusts I missed. In the dark, the wind is blowing.
Now that I say that, maybe there’ve been other winds I’ve missed because this time of year I’m often locked in a theatre evaluating students’ final projects or conducting a rehearsal.
I have some recollection, too, of the seasonal complaints about early darkness. It can be dark here around 4:30pm.
I wouldn’t know.
Or I know, but it doesn’t matter.
Same reasons: rehearsals happen in darkened rooms without windows.
We lose all track of time.
This morning, in my very dark office — colored blue and pale green from some lights I’ve installed — I’ve again lost track of time.
I’m manufacturing some wind, though: a fan blows cool comfort.
In the dark, the wind is blowing.
It reminds me what change can be like. Wind will come or.
I can manufacture a breeze by walking more briskly through the world or.
Wind will come or
I can allow myself to fall through the air or.
Breath or.
Fans.
My impatience for change will cause me turn on more fans and breathe much faster than will waiting in the sticky present for the world to bring through another of its fronts. And while the fan on my feet at night may help me to sleep or this fan here may activate my senses for a time, they are breezes, not wind.
To experience wind inside, the windows and doors have to be open. So do I.
Or I have to be in the open.
I’m not sure whether any of this is true for me just now. I am a high pressure system, holding my breath in the dark.
The wind waits for breath to join it.
Meditation: The Wind as a Symbol of Change
In the brisk coolness of the wind, there blows a metaphor for Advent. Just as the wind ushers in new weather, it also symbolizes the personal, communal, and cosmic changes that Advent brings. This season, let us meditate on the wind's transformative power – how it moves us, reshapes our surroundings, and refreshes our spirits. The wind, much like our journey through Advent, brings both the anticipation of what's to come and the reflection on what has been. It whispers of change, of renewal, and of the gentle, guiding force that moves us through the seasons of our lives.
Interior Examen: Embracing Change and Trusting the Unseen
Reflect on moments in your life when change came as unexpectedly as a change in the wind. How did you respond? Were these changes a source of growth or resistance for you?
Consider how the wind, unseen yet felt, relates to your faith journey this Advent. In what ways can you embrace the unseen aspects of your life with trust and openness?
Think about how you can be like the wind in your community – a force for positive change, a gentle presence that encourages and refreshes. What steps can you take this Advent to embody these qualities?