
Rediscover Winter Quiet

Winter quiet is beautiful. It is deep, hibernatory, and refreshing to our inner being. And Tofino is one of the best places to rediscover it.
The winter weather, whether it be crisp or damp, the surge of the surf, the storms, and the early setting of the sun make Tofino a less frequent choice in winter by some. For other vacation seekers, it is the best time in the year to visit.
In winter Tofino becomes more like its small village self again. Coffee line-ups disappear, and some restaurants and retailers take a well earned rest, leaving emptier, tranquil streetscapes that roll out towards water. Everything winds down, including road, water and air traffic, and all-around noise levels diminish. As the leaves have fallen and gone back to the earth to nourish it, it is an invitation for you to renew and revitalize the soil of your own life.
One of my favourite Irish poets and philosophers, John O’Donohue, says in his work To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, “Within the grip of winter, it is almost impossible to imagine the spring. The gray perished landscape is shorn of color. Only bleakness meets the eye; everything seems severe and edged. Winter is the oldest season; it has some quality of the absolute. Yet beneath the surface of winter, the miracle of spring is already in preparation; the cold is relenting; seeds are wakening up. Colors are beginning to imagine how they will return. Then, imperceptibly, somewhere one bud opens and the symphony of renewal is no longer reversible. From the black heart of winter a miraculous, breathing plenitude of color emerges.
The beauty of nature insists on taking its time. Everything is prepared. Nothing is rushed. The rhythm of emergence is a gradual slow beat always inching its way forward; change remains faithful to itself until the new unfolds in the full confidence of true arrival. Because nothing is abrupt, the beginning of spring nearly always catches us unawares. It is there before we see it; and then we can look nowhere without seeing it.”
The winter air in Tofino is filled with a majestic loudness – a sound that can be heard from Tofino Hummingbird Cottage – a sound that is soothing even in its volume – the roar of winter waves from Chesterman Beach. I recently took a chance presented by a short lull in bookings to stay in Tofino Hummingbird Cottage and experience what my guests experience. The soundscape, the cozy darkness of the bedrooms, and the hearth of the fire generated great peace in my soul and being.
The peacefulness I have felt staying in Tofino Hummingbird Cottage was also enhanced by the enveloping winter quiet. The animals have mostly begun hibernating by the beginning of December, squirrels have filled their winter larders, and the birds are mostly quiet too, gathering what sustenance they can find and conserving energy till they burst into spring melodies again. Even the cedar trees that surround the Cottage feel like a gentle, peaceful and quiet hug around me as I gaze out the window, sitting by the fire and sipping a warm tea.
This is the perfect place and time – Tofino Hummingbird Cottage in winter – to relax in its peace and rediscover the hidden joy of winter quiet to revitalize the soil of your life.