Honouring Winter – An Invitation
This morning, I came downstairs and I sat at the table with my mug of coffee, warming my hands. I was yearning for the spring to come – I’m just fed up with this late winter! Everything is buried down and submerged… and I’m listening to this solitary bird singing.
I’m looking out the window, searching, scanning for any little bit of fresh new life or growth. I’m checking the crocuses and the daffodils for new buds – any sort of sign that new life is emerging. I’m restless and bored of winter, and I want to go out there and hop and skip and do cartwheels on the lawn!
Where’s the colour?! Where’s the light?! Where’s the beauty?! Where’s the joy?! You know?
But when I give myself a moment to be still and present to everything around me… there is joy, light, and beauty to be acknowledged in this transition period from Winter to Spring.
As we emerge from this long, deep, and restful slumber, there is hope and possibility in the air. Without winter, there is no spring. Without night, there is no day. From the song of this solitary bird, there is an invitation to take a pause this early March and say thank you to the nourishment brought by the season that’s passing, and the hard busy work that happens underground, unnoticed and invisible.
There’s been a lot of activity underground, the soil and the critters are busy preparing the ground and germinating the seeds planted before the frost. It’s the safe place for things to grow and become resilient enough to meet the elements come the spring.
Our bodies also have their own cycle and seasonality throughout the days and weeks as well. At night, we go to rest in winter, followed by a spring rising in the morning. At mid-day and early afternoon, we are at our most alert – in our summer. We’re productive, the world is set on ‘go’ and we ‘get things done’. In the mid-afternoon, we begin to feel tired as we enter into autumn. We naturally want to slow down, wrap up the day and relax into the evening.
This month, I invite you to take a moment between your day’s activities. Create gaps of a few minutes, or even a few seconds to breathe, stretch and be with a little piece of nature. Perhaps you could step out into the garden with a cup of tea, or take a brisk walk at a nearby park, or water your house plants. Come back to yourself, notice the joy, beauty, and lightness that’s there. See where you are in the seasons.
With love,
Rosalind
