Honoring My Winter

I’m sure I’m not the only one for whom winter can be rather tough.  I used to think it was the cold, gray, wet weather that put me in a funk.  But in generally fair-weathered and recently drought-stricken California, where one can conceivably swim in an outdoor pool well into November with minimal discomfort, I don’t have that excuse.  Perhaps it’s the light deprivation or Seasonal Affective Disorder (the Cal-lite version) that takes hold of me.

Yet as autumn has fallen upon me this year, I’ve been reflecting on how I can prepare and perhaps “do winter better.”  And I have made what feels like a very satisfying resolution.

In the past, I’ve regarded winter as just another season, wherein my routine is little changed.  I’ve endeavored to work, move, and live with as much fervor as I do the other sunnier seasons.  And it is in precisely this effort, I’ve discovered, that I’ve made my mistake.

All four seasons uniquely require and inspire our alignment.  And winter, for me, poses the greatest challenge in this regard.  Like many, I thrive on sun, water, and movement (not water that is snow and not movement on skis down a hill, mind you).  So, for me, winter is a journey through a strange, dark, foreign land that I make with resistance, where I keenly savor the post-Winter-Solstice lengthening of days.

In my contemplation about this coming winter, I’ve figured out that it is best to surrender to what winter is calling me to do (and not do).  Winter’s elements echo my winter within; that tick on the dial of my cycle that is winter and all that engenders.  Heck, if the bears are retreating to their caves, perhaps I should take a page from their book.

So as I am so moved, I will turn inward.  I will nurture myself, surrendering to the stillness.

1.      I’ll listen to music, light a candle, and drink ginger peach tea.

2.      I’ll walk the lake instead of running at the beach.

3.      I’ll wear flannel pajamas and watch marathons of Mad Men and Damages on  Netflix (and maybe even Gilmore Girls).

4.      I’ll take long hot bubble baths instead of quick showers.

5.      I’ll roast root vegetables instead of steaming broccoli.

6.      I’ll keep the gift-giving simple and meaningful.

7.      I’ll pull out and actually wear my winter scarf collection.

8.      I’ll take a leisurely tour of the holiday lights around my neighborhood.

9.      I’ll celebrate my awkwardly dated winter birthday (January 4) with a trip to the spa for a soak and a shiatsu massage.

10.   I might even ice skate. 

May you honor your winter as well.