the art of wintering

ah winter,

the season of sitting with yourself the longest.

rest. hibernation. shedding.

after all, mother nature doesn’t bloom all year round. why would we expect ourselves to?

each year, especially after january 1st, there’s this lingering, sometimes obnoxious, pressure to achieve. constantly.

maybe that has something, or everything, to do with social media. watching everyone announce their goals, what they are doing this year to grind and glow up.

seeing what everyone else is accomplishing and feeling like we must keep up. making sure the world doesn’t think we are falling behind! ever!

but that’s just not reality.

somewhere along the way, we have forgotten the art of wintering.

it becomes very busy trying to portray a perfect life, a perfect self,

that we lose touch with the natural rhythm happening all around us. the world literally slows down. the trees go bare. animals retreat. the sun sets at 5pm.

why don’t we follow along?

why not make your inner world the sacred project this season? make it a peaceful, beautiful place to be.

instead, we resist.

we call ourselves “lazy” when our bodies are simply following their cues. we criticize ourselves for putting on weight when it’s -20 outside. of course we aren’t moving as much. of course we’re resting more. of course we’re enjoying ourselves during the holidays.

why do we fight this, year after year, instead of accepting the rhythm?

winter is a shift of focus. from the outer world to the inner one.

so go home. rest. recharge.

learn some new hobbies and skills. cook the recipes you’ve been meaning to try. take up knitting. scrapbook your summer adventures. watch the films waiting on your list. read, write. create. get comfortable in your own mind. love it. it’s yours forever, after all.

resist the urge to reach for the stars all year round. instead, fall in love with the mundane. the simple things.

this winter I took it upon myself to fall in love this the mundane. i have found it to be a perfect way to enrich the quality of my life rather than swinging from goal to goal.

what is the point of any of this, if not to find pleasure in buying yourself a bonsai tree?

or getting pita pita with your mom on a Saturday afternoon in January

excited because you can eat wheat again and no longer fear it.

lighting candles and putting all of your faith in the little crystals on your windowsill.

finally allowing yourself to put the weight of the world down.

let the war be over.

let yourself rest.

we can fight this season every year, or we can lean in. choose softness. choose comfort.

life doesn’t have to be one long rat race of grasping for the next high.

i hope you find rest in this time, rather than searching for reasons to make life harder than it needs to be.

love ave