My friend Kerry Dexter just wrote, “Winter is a time of gathering in, for contemplation, for rest, for renewal.” (Check out Kerry’s blog ).

Staying creatively and physically renewed is a trick when the snow is freezing into gray lumps and crowding out pedestrian passages… It’s hard to gather in and contemplate when you have a head cold that is hanging on and interfering with your singing.

Frogs have a built in renewal system. They literally shed their skin. It’s not pretty, but it’s a way to stay fresh. Once a week or so, they’ll start with a series of twists, bends and stretches to loosen the old skin. Toads will bloat themselves up for the maximum stretch.

After a series of stretches, frogs will pull old skin over their heads (some rip it off with their mouths and eat it). Once it’s off, they are clean and neat again.

OK – so this is a fun and gross call to stretch!!! And to toss old junk to make room for calm, fresh, restful days ahead.

I got out the yoga mat and did some freestyle Shannon Yoga. Then I weeded through some old paperwork, making one streamlined To Do list. And I stopped for a second to savor the fresh promise of a new President and sane Administration.

I still haven’t eaten my own skin—that’s the next thing on the To Do list…