That afternoon the dream of the toads
rang through the elms by Little River
and affected the thoughts of men,
though they were not conscious that
they heard it.--Henry Thoreau

OK, enought of the winter and adversity....where is the pleasantness and prosperity part????

Yea, but does the adversity have to taste so damned bitter??

So the prosperity is that much sweeter.

I'd like an order of bland prosperity. I have to avoid sweet stuff and who needs adversity anyway?

I like what you got to say, Tommy, sweetie!!

Like Tommy, I would like an order of bland prosperity. I am sick and tired of the adversity.

Not a quote, but an idea. Historically the various winter festivals are really about rebirth. Yes there is some sense of death, but its always followed by the rebirth. We see this in our own culture in a secular way with the New Year coming so soon after the onset of winter. Consider that December 21 is the shortest day of the year, but it is followed by January 1 which is the birth of a New Year. Then basically winter can be see as a chance to start again and be reborn.

in literature winter is always representative of death... but i liked your quote anyway. its true, feeling bad makes feeling good that much better

I beg to differ about winter always being about death.

A Winter Ride by Amy Lowell

Who shall declare the joy of the running!
Who shall tell of the pleasures of flight!
Springing and spurning the tufts of wild heather,
Sweeping, wide-winged, through the blue dome of light.
Everything mortal has moments immortal,
Swift and God-gifted, immeasurably bright.
So with the stretch of the white road before me,
Shining snow crystals rainbowed by the sun,
Fields that are white, stained with long, cool, blue shadows,
Strong with the strength of my horse as we run.
Joy in the touch of the wind and the sunlight!
Joy! With the vigorous earth I am one.

Blue Winter by Robert Francis

Winter uses all the blues there are.
One shade of blue for water, one for ice,
Another blue for shadows over snow.
The clear or cloudy sky uses blue twice-
Both different blues. And hills row after row
Are colored blue according to how for.
You know the bluejay's double-blur device
Shows best when there are no green leaves to show.
And Sirius is a winterbluegreen star.

I think that, if any season is representative of death, it is the autumn, but it makes me feel alive in so many ways!!