Groen Park, Chatfield, MN

Friday, January 16, 2026 at 2:48 p.m.; 21 degrees feels like 0 due to 20 mph winds.

I arrive feeling frazzled and, once again, weary of ice. Red berries stand sharply against the beige and gray winter day. The sounds of shifting and colliding ice chunks in the river raise the hairs on the back of my neck.  I’m jumpy!

I put my anxieties into slow walking the northern bank. 

As I move again, I notice that the wind gusts carry a familiar tone, the greens scattered in patches across the ground offer the subtlest reminder of spring, and the textured leaves draw my attention until my fears finally shift to focus. I leave with the realization that, in this moment, the familiar feels safe.