The memories that make up a life

By Ashley Purdin, photos also by the author.

I love surrounding myself with things that bring me joy. I am a collector of little ceramic, stone, or glass creatures that brighten my day and remind me that it’s the little things in life that make up the big things. As I soaked in my bath on a January morning, drinking my tea, I thought about winters past and how I spent my time—specifically winters in my childhood. Riding my horse over freshly snow-covered ground, watching the flakes fall onto “Lucky’s” mane. Sledding down the back side of our pond dam at the farm, laughing and carrying on with friends. A spontaneous snowball fight, which was a great time until someone inevitably took a snowball to the face. Building forts in the woods was also a favorite pastime when the poison ivy was dormant and the ticks and chiggers had gone for the winter. Building a fire and watching a Christmas movie with my parents in the basement, with the crackling fire as a background track for Miracle on 34th Street.

One year, I begged for ice skates for Christmas so I would be able to skate on the pond with my childhood friend and now lifelong friend, Allie. There was a small pond—a year-round puddle, really—that was only a few inches deep up by the road on the farm. It would be the first body of water to freeze and came without the worry of falling through the ice.

We had the best time down there, coming up with figure skating routines to songs we sang, with the freedom of the ice being the only canvas we needed as we laid down our artwork of lines and squiggles with our skates. I also remember my dad carefully filing off one tooth of my toe pick that seemed to be causing me a lot of grief and unexpected falls. I don’t know that it made me any more graceful or less accident-prone, but it was a good, solid effort nonetheless.

Wintertime brings me a lot of wonderful memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. I have come to look forward to winter and cozy soaks in my bathtub, reading a magazine or just contemplating life and drinking my tea. When it's colder and more miserable outside, inside my home feels even more cozy. I bask in the privilege of having a warm house surrounded by the things that bring me joy. What do you do to make wintertime more pleasant and peaceful? Spending time journaling, making art, reading, knitting or reminiscing are all good ways to enjoy your winter. It's time to stop mindlessly scrolling the social media and time to invest in yourself, your well-being and your peace this winter.