On Winter

Winter is challenging for many, especially those of us used to wearing shorts and flip flops in January. With potential icy bridges, even my Saturday early-morning yoga class is out.

So I sit in bed, surrounded by my two boys. Buddy is curled against me as I work and Stanley is dozing at the foot of the bed. They seem quiet, reflective even. Maybe they dream of breakfast or chasing each other on wild dashes through the house. It seems they are subdued, quieter than usual.

Colder weather invites us to slow down, stay indoors and go within like nature does to survive. It’s not only about surviving cold temperatures…this going within. It’s part of the balance of growth.

There are times of intense action and growth, such as spring and summer, so there must be time to rest and recharge. John O’Donohue, in A Celtic Pilgrimage, spoke of winter as having the fullness of spring contained within it. The design, the blueprint…it’s all there in winter, at rest. And when the time is right, the plan leaps into action.

So it is with our lives. We need times of rest and contemplation to practice deep listening. These periods of going within give ideas space to grow and take root and when the conditions are right, they will burst forth with exuberance.