Our dog provides me with a wonderful excuse every morning to get outside, which is where I’d almost always rather be. We pad downstairs while the house is still dark and the rest of the family is asleep. I let him out for a preliminary snuffle around the yard, do a quick wash and brush, pull on my jacket, step into my boots and join him. This time of year a 6:30 a.m. walk gives us enough light to see while offering the possibility of a remnant moon to the west and soft gray lightness rising in the east.

So worth it, right there.

My husband says he is useless without his morning shower but I’d have to say for me it’s all outside. These days, the dog and I walk our usual walk because the earth lies mostly dormant in the light grasp of faded winter. Soon enough we’ll spend more time in the yard – cleaning up detritus and getting the garden going; our forays will be less leisurely and more purposeful then. Whatever the reason, it’s good to have one to get out there and do something – anything. When it’s time to head back in, it’s with a sense of gratitude for time well spent.

My roots may be Irish and Polish, but my roots before time are of the planet. It nourishes me, sustains me, grounds me. We share the same percentage of salt water, and my breath and the seas share the same rhythm in the ebb and flow of air and ocean waves.

Food for mind, body, spirit is just beyond the threshold for the taking.

Step into it.