Powering down
As the winter solstice approaches, the darkest day of the year, I feel the weight of the darkness. Light barely breaks by 7am and it’s almost fully dark by 5pm. The days feel short and the nights long and heavy.
This is the time of year I feel most compelled to retreat. To hibernate. To be quiet and think and plan and rest.
As the seasons go, winter is the time that things die. What falls away makes room for what is yet to bloom in the spring. From my warm hibernation spot, I like to think about what to plant and grow as the weather, and the energy, warm again.
This can feel like a big deal…and yet it happens every year. So while I love to think and plan, I also know that surprises and unexpected sprouts will emerge no matter how I plan. And then winter will come again next year, a time for endings, and a new chance for beginnings will come around yet again.
It is a permanent cycle of temporary systems. It tells us to make plans but hold them loosely because things are always shifting and evolving.
What are you preparing to shed? What are you hoping to create?
Wishing each and every one of you dear readers a warm, festive, restful holiday season and a gentle foray into the new year! Thank you for coming along with me this year!!
