“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”
― Walt Whitman
Bright rays of sunshine warm our spirits even on the coldest of winter days. Like all living things, we bask in the energy of the sun, relying upon it to strengthen our entire well-being.
Flowers resting upon a window sill notoriously lean toward the sunshine due to the auxin – a solar-derived hormone responsible for this innate behavior. Similar to vegetation, we find ourselves dreaming of sunshine throughout the winter months. It’s a yearning that reaches far beyond the warmth of fiery rays – we too, have a hormonal reliance upon the sun’s energy. Vitamin D is created when UVB rays touch our skin, creating a prohormone which is then circulated throughout our entire body. Vitamin D, eventually metabolized as a hormone, is crucial to our overall health, including: immune health, disease prevention, circulation – and the promotion of positive moods.
“Eternal Sunshine” is a phrase used to epitomize our attraction to the sun and its positive qualities. We crave the sun’s rejuvenating properties on a multitude of levels, particularly in the winter when we are feeling deprived.
The Litchfield Hills generously lend themselves to an active winter lifestyle as well as a fabulously health-conscious culture whose values are evident in the abundance of natural food shops that are strewn throughout the region. Explore the beauty of the Berkshires with your face toward the sunshine and a supportive community of resources behind you.
Some of our favorite fine food and wellness shops include:
