I have decided that I need to be more like the plants and animals and not fight winter this year. In the past I have always felt that winter made me lazy, and tried to carry on living a similar life to summer, or beat myself up if I didn’t. This year I am not trying to get as much done in a day, and I am staying in bed longer, and going to bed earlier. I am sleeping more, which can only be good for me. This saves my energy, and the high energy bills. Just like the animals I will slow down my breathing, and rest. This is a time of healing, and I mustn’t feel guilty for taking advantage of it.
By wintering I will gain awareness, have more resilience, and dull the noise in my head. I will observe nature and learn from it. I have prepared and am adapting, just as the plants and animals do. Like nature, I am using this season for replenishing, and for getting my house and life in order. I have stocked up from my summer garden, and will now use those resources carefully through out the winter to make my warm, nourishing stews and soups. During winter I will allow myself to slow down and reflect, and almost hibernate. So many people have expectations of me, but I will consciously step away to reduce the emotional exhaustion. I have my community to share this journey with so that I don’t feel isolated.
This will give me time to concentrate on renewing myself so that when I emerge in Spring, I will be rejuvenated, and hopefully will have lost some weight, but gained some peace and tranquillity. I don’t need to stuff myself with chocolates wishing it was summer, or sit watching Netflix all day. It is high time that I try to enjoy all that winter has to offer. This maybe the sparkling, frosty scenery, the coloured lights, the dancing warm flames of the fire, being engrossed in a good book, or the snuggly warm bobble hat, jumpers and gloves that keep me warm on the coldest day.
Christmas will bring my family all together. We will raise a glass to those we have lost, and celebrate those of us that are still here. I will hear the excited squeal of my grandson when he sees his presents, make Christmas crafts and gifts in anticipation of giving, dance around the kitchen to Christmas tunes I played in my teenage years, and cook seasonal luxuries. It is my opportunity to be creative and sparkle, rather than mope and disappear into myself, trying to survive.
I am part of nature, and I mustn’t forget that. The seasons are there to teach us that everything is temporary, but important and beautiful in their own way. I need to let Mother Nature hold my hand and lead. Hopefully I can treat myself with kindness, compassion, and allow myself to ‘just be’. Central heating, electric lights, long days at work, all help to trick us into think that winter is just a season when the weather is worse, and it gets cold. It isn’t. It is a time of rest and preparation for spring, when I can emerge with new growth, new ideas, and new hope of what is to be.
How are you coping this winter?
What a beautiful and insightful post, I agree with you entirely about embracing the winter season, I love it and see it as the perfect time to ease down, enjoy all that nature gifts us in sunsets, sunrises and weather. Have you read ‘Wintering’ by Katherine May, a very thoughtful book. Thank you for your blog 🙂. Jan
Lovely post Toni. Thank you as always for the time and effort you take in writing these and your daily Facebook blogs. It really is appreciated 👏 💐 🥳
Aww thank you. It helps me too, especially being part of that lovely community
No, I will look it up. Thanks
Brilliant Toni, lovely blog and it’s just how I’ve been feeling dreading the winter, feeling that I’m going to be lazy and don’t want to be I don’t want to slide into that black hole so this has given me some food for thought looking at it your way I might feel better about things.
Brilliant. We can do this x
Brilliant blog. I need to change my attitude to winter, too.
Good luck. x
I love the fact that we have different seasons and try to look for the positives in all of them. I swim outside all year round and it can be quite a challenge in winter but when there’s a blue sky it feels really special to be in the water. I love this blog and it’s actually the only one I engage with.
Aww that is nice of you to say, thank you. Gosh, I wish that I was brave enough to swim all the year round. Thanks for sharing
What a lovely post. I will try to change my mindset on winter too by slowing down and not feeling guilty about reading a book indoors instead of rushing about. You’ve helped me recognise winter can be an enjoyable season and come spring we’ll emerge again with renewed energy. Thank you for sharing x
Aww. That is great. Good luck. Thanks for commenting
Lovely blog, I do like winter, I like being snuggled on the sofa with a good book or a nice candle burning, I change my cushion covers & throws, I also like to watch a good movie with a hot chocolate (very rarely watch tv in spring & summer). I also like a good walk in the cold and that lovely feeling you get when you get back into the warm
Sounds good. Thanks for sharing
Slowing down and enjoying what nature offers. The winter solstice on 21st December, Christmas day 25th December, New year’s day 1st January, Burns night 25th January and Valentine’s Day 14th February are days I will celebrate with a special meal and will give the winter months some shape and reasons for celebrations, probably nothing too fancy or expensive but just to make these days different. I don’t want to be caught up in the commercial aspects of these days but take time to think what they mean to me.
That sounds like a great plan. Thanks for sharing
Love how you are protecting yourself & embracing these season changes . I am writing lists of tasks to do & clearing out the old to make way for the new . I love to cosy up in my uddie next to the fire reading & crafting & watching Tv .
Since being away I’ve stopped drinking tea & am cutting out cows milk drinking green tea & herbal & a lot of water . Im aiming to use up larder food & buy more locally .
Make do & mend & enjoy nature I sent off for a free WWF Your daily dose of nature guide to help me .
I love the idea of slowing down & embracing the changes . Thank you for sharing your wisdom & kindness& being there to help me develop into the person I want to be without judgement. X
I have seen you transform and grow amazingly over the past year. I hope that you are really proud of yourself x
Beautiful post and so true. I love autumn.
Thanks. It is definitely growing on me
I love the words let’s nature take your hand and lead. We are so busy cramming things into the day especially when it gets dark earlier. Thank you .
No worries. Thanks for commenting
Thankyou for this. You’re always about bring kind to yourself and I’m starting to realise this more and more. I took love this little community as I’ve always felt on the outside of the “busyness” that life is
I think that a lot of us in the FB community have felt ‘different’ and it has taken a long time for a lot of us to realise that there are a lot of us that are are actually the same
Wow thank you this post is amazing & we should all try to embrace the season we are the lucky ones still here to be able to enjoy the winter xx
Absolutely x
Such a lovely, mindful post.
I walk my dogs all year round and love getting all dressed up in my warm clothes and boots and heading out. I’m not sure if one of them is quite as enthusiastic but my older dog loves to roll in the snow and rub his face in the ice and frost.
However, we’ve just booked our trip to Spain and we’ll be out of the country from the end of January to the end of March. Our campsite charges £17 a night and that includes free classes in everything from line dancing to Tai Chi as well as weekly swimming. We used to do this before Mr B was so ill but now he’s recovered we’re going again. Who knows, it may be the last time but it gives us the chance to see lots of friends who live there and meet up with people just like us.
We live so much cheaper (and healthier) when we are there and it sets us up for the year. Spring should be round the corner when we return.
2 months in the sum sounds wonderful. I am not jealous at all! Have a lovely time x
Beautiful post and written from the heart. It is our time,time to slow down and conserve energy and to heal as nature intends. Rest,warm nourishing food and a warm comfortable bed. I wish I was a bear 🤭
“the simple bare necessities of life,” me too, Baloo!. Thanks for commenting
WOW really loving this post Toni. I like winter it can give us stunning landscapes, sunrise and sunsets. I enjoy going out walking but not as long as the summer walks. We’ve stopped our walking club for a couple of months. It’s definitely a time to wind down and enjoy what’s on offer with the festivities. I like to light my candle’s and put my twinkling flasher fading lights on . I enjoy my homemade mocha’s just having one now as I right this. We are supposed to have snow at the weekend so if it does will definitely get out in it and take a flask of mocha with me. I enjoy my Christmas jumpers but I’ve only got one now as all my others are to big for me😍. So I’ll be looking on vinted I bought one the other week. I’ll hopefully get some in the sales just after Christmas I refuse to pay full price for a new one 🤣. I really enjoy going to the Christmas craft fayres this time of year and talking to the stall holders. As I used to be on the other side of the stall and it’s hard making money on all my hard work I used to put in with my crafting,as not enough footfall around here like there is in the city. The last few Christmasas I always go to London for st.andrews weekend,I used to go with my late father but now meet up with my 2 sisters for a long weekend. It really sets me up for the winter seeing the London Christmas lights they know how to put on a show with all the different districts to see in the boroughs. I love being cosy on the sofa watching films , dramas and those cheesy Christmas films as they always have a happy ending. 😍. X
Aww, you are making me look forward to Christmas more. Thanks for sharing
Love this post. Thank you
Thank you for commenting
A really lovely, cosy post Toni. I love this time of the year as it forces me to slow down and therefore hunker down. I love to read, drink hot drinks and snuggle under duvets but equally, I like to continue to minimise my belongings and see it as shedding another layer in readiness for the next season rolling in.
That sounds good.. Thanks for sharing.
A lovely thoughtful post Toni, I like winter, I like the hibernation and chance to snuggle up. There’s nothing nicer than a good long walk with something warming awaiting you when you return . I like the paired down landscape, frosty days , bare trees . It makes spring so much nicer, looking for new buds and spring bulbs . I feel it’s essential that we rest a bit , reflect , and just slow down . There are so many expectations of us , this is a chance to be kind to ourselves . Xx
You are right. Thanks for sharing
Wonderful post Toni, thank you. I needed that reminder this morning.
Aww. Sending hugs. It has been so cold here recently. x
Semi-hibernation sounds good to me. Keeping away from some of the seasonal coughs and colds too. I have my vitamin D tablets because we don’t get enough sunlight to make it in winter in the UK.
I enjoy a swim and nice hot shower at the local leisure centre just to keep my joints moving.
A fairly brisk walk round the park with the dog for some fresh air, then home for a mug of cocoa and my library book.
I like to listen to library audio books, and old BBC Radio dramas. I have a stash of wool and cotton yarn which needs using.
That sounds like bliss. Thanks for sharing