A Different View of Midwinter
Photo by Bobby McLeod on Unsplash
“Winter is…a time for reflection and recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your house in order.”
~ Katherine May
Happy 2025! I hope your holiday celebrations were enjoyable.
As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about my friends up north who are still digging out from the impressive snowfall they experienced earlier in the week.
I grew up near Philadelphia and spent the winters of my youth living from snowfall to snowfall. My siblings and friends and I enjoyed many happy days sledding and building snowmen. Gloves and scarfs were inadequate back then so every few hours we’d race inside, chug some hot chocolate (thanks, Mom!), throw our wet items on the radiator, and don replacement ones before heading out again.
Other than the fun we had in the snow, the endless, dark winters were a struggle for a sensitive soul like me, especially once I became a teenager. Our two-story house had five bedrooms for nine of us. With so many of us cooped up during inclement weather, it felt like our home was bursting at the seams.
Things were different once my brother and I (the only ones left at home) moved to North Carolina when our parents retired. Here in Raleigh, we’re lucky if we get one big snowfall per year. Mostly we see brief dustings which disappear overnight. We’re known for our abundant sunshine and our Carolina Blue skies, even when it’s cold.
Nevertheless, for too many years I carried the memory of those endless, dark northern winters with me and deemed wintertime my least favorite time of year. Gradually, though, I began to see that there’s a different way to view this seemingly bleak season.
Some years ago, a friend introduced me to a concept called wintering, from a book by the same name by Katherine May. The author suggests that we shouldn’t try to carry our summertime ambitions into the darker months, but instead, should embrace it as a time to slow down and reflect, much like our furry friends who, after preparing in the fall, use the midwinter months to retreat and rest.
Author Kari Leiberwitz discusses a related aspect of wintering in her new book How to Winter. In it, she challenges a common misconception about those living in locales with long winters: that humans must necessarily be more depressed in winter. She has travelled to places on earth “with some of the coldest, darkest, longest and most intense winters, and discovered the power of ‘wintertime mindset’— viewing the season as full of opportunity and wonder.” She relates the traditions of many places across the world that help residents flourish during these times. According to Ms. Leiberwitz, we can increase our enjoyment of this time of year by recognizing and pursuing the pleasures of the season such as solstice gatherings and festival of light celebrations.
Increasingly, I am learning that winter can be a season to be embraced, not endured.
As with so many things, changing our perspective can change our experience of the world.
~~~
I’ve long been a fan of new year’s resolutions and have written about them before. Last year, Maria Shriver shared the idea of choosing one word and setting an intention to focus on it for the whole year. My siblings and I decided to try it out, so we shared our “words” in our January 2024 Zoom session. It led to a revealing discussion about why we chose the word we did and what it meant to us. We decided to repeat the exercise again this year.
A one-word intention practice is far less specific than a resolution with a measurable goal, but there are benefits to both. At this stage of my life, rather than making a list of resolutions, I prefer the more fluid concept of focusing on one word and applying it to multiple areas in my life.
My word for 2025 is actually two words: “Digging out.” At the same time many of you are shoveling snow, I’ve begun the process of digging out in the areas of my life that seem to be out of balance.
As most writers are, I’m a high-idea person, but I fall down when it comes to organization and maintenance. This is true for my house, where I clean and purge less often than I aspire to, and on my computer, where my files, folders, and emails keep multiplying. Since we’ve been traveling so often to see our kids and grandkids in recent years, which has brought us great joy, managing our own chores has become less of a priority. Despite my best intentions, this post I did on Marie Kwon’s space clearing concepts a few years back didn’t sink in very far. But I’m a strong believer in the idea that, “If at first you don’t succeed…try, try again,” so here I go.
What about you? How are you feeling this week? Are you resting and reflecting, or actively setting goals and intentions for the upcoming year?
No matter how you are wintering, I trust you are listening to yourself and honoring your needs.
Best wishes for a peaceful 2025!
Affectionately,
Elaine
P.S. As it turns out, we’re expecting six inches of snow overnight. Woohoo! Looks like we’ll be shoveling snow with the rest of you.