The excitement of Christmas has come and gone, routine has set in and the next crazy holiday is Easter but it's a ways away. I know that the days are starting to lengthen and the light doesn't disappear so fast however the grey skies of February still push down upon me. Creating a little bit of claustrophobia within my soul. I start to long for the bright sunshine glinting off of everything. My soul yearns for adventure, to getting out of these walls of schedules and to do lists. I want to break free of left out shoes, and dirty dishes. I need to experience something in February that inspires me to face my world of piles of laundry, pots needing to be scrubbed, sorting mail, disinfecting toilets and sinks and bathtubs. I need to refuel my solar cells. I need an adventure in the sun.

The snowshoes come down from the shelf and we load up a daypack with our 10 essentials, food, coffee, and water. The gear gets placed in the back seat of the truck and we head out of town to the mountain. I can feel my soul start to lighten around the edges. It isn't much, just a day outing but it is what I need. My husband driving. We share our concerns about kids, about life. We remain silent comfortably.  We reminisce about fun times with the kids and laugh about the memories. It is a reconnection that sometimes lack in a hectic schedule. Once at the SnoPark we strap our snowshoes to our pack since there isn't a lot of snow and talk a walk. After about 20 minutes it is clear that we need to go higher up to get that solar soul energy that I crave. There is the turn off to White Salmon trail higher up the road, before the turn to White Salmon Lodge.  Artist Point would be a good destination however I am needing a new destination. White Salmon is it. Again we strap the snowshoes to our back and we head out on the very well groomed trail. It becomes evident early on that we are not going to be using our snowshoes but the trail is nice with great views peaking out of the frosted trees. The sun shining, highlighting the needles, turning the grey in my soul to silver. I realize that God created my soul to long for light, His light. The needing to recharge my solar powered soul is his gift to reconnect with my husband, to stop the hectic hustle and enjoy the little things. Coffee still hot in a thermos, the visiting birds hoping for a cracker, the glints of light sparkling on the snow, a day with my friend.