Depending on where you live, winter can be a bleak time. Cold, gray skies, bitter winds… snow… ice. Some places, like Colorado or Vermont, remain active during the winter when everyone is rushing down mountains on skis. But for many of us, winter is just a time of hiding indoors, napping, and eating too many carbs.
Even though we may not love winter, it is an important time in the cycle of nature and an important time for us. Bears hibernate. Birds and butterflies head to warmer temps and breeding grounds. We should allow ourselves time to rest and be quiet. We are hard on ourselves and think we need to be hustling every waking hour, but this feels so much harder to do when it gets dark at 5 p.m.
It’s also become harder to slow down with 24/7 technology and events that don’t stop even on Sundays, the proverbial “day of rest”.
We have to be very intentional about not staying so busy all the time.
Some people hate that it gets dark early, but one of the neatest things about it is realizing how much more of the evening you have once you note that it is only 6 pm. It feels like a gift. Wow! I have four more hours until bedtime.
Winter calls us to huddle down, snuggle up, and take it easy, and that is a good, good thing that many of us have forgotten how to do. Sitting still makes a lot of people anxious, so winter is a good time to sit with that uncomfortable feeling until it subsides (and it will with practice). But, it does take practice.
We were not made to bloom 12 months of the year any more than the flowers and the trees. Stop being so hard on yourself because you feel the call to rest.
Taking advantage of the quiet stillness of late December, January, and February helps us better appreciate spring when the Earth comes alive and our energy levels rise right along with the increased sunlight.
Of course, taking the time to rest doesn’t have to be a time of loneliness. Rather, it can be a time when life quiets down enough so you can carve out more time to be with other people. Maybe you are so busy during other seasons that you don’t visit people you should. Winter may be a great time to do that. Whatever you decide to do, know that it is okay to do what your mind and body are calling you to do. Hold on to that.