❄️The Seasonal Slice🍰 Embracing winter & failed resolutions
Following nature's lead through challenges, journal prompts, cozy inspiration, + exciting CHF updates!
✨HAPPY NEW YEAR!✨
Lately I’ve been catching myself wanting to grumble about winter,
…and the cold,
…and my toddler not napping 🙈
Now that the holidays have passed, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere [I’m in the middle of frozen Europe], have little distraction from the chill, darkness, and it somehow can emphasise other inconveniences [like toddlers not napping].
Out and about, people seem a tad less cheery in January, bundled and grim-faced, in their BLACK sleeping-bag-esce puffer coats and it’s got me reading about color theory.
…I’ll spare you that internet rabbit hole and just say that there is little research but the idea has been popular across the globe for centuries, for a reason. Personally, I notice attraction to certain hues and, in everything from flower bouquets to festive sock, color certain does conjure my emotions. I wonder… maybe I’d see more smiles on the street in salmon pink or vintage chartreuse?
Staring blankly into the calendar at the distinctly empty (read: holiday-less) period between now and Valentine’s Day, knowing these will be coldest weeks of winter, has me romanticising a warm spring day, where I don’t care if Pumpkin naps because we are outside, frolicking amongst the flowers and basking in the glory of the sun’s warmth. Ahh, can we just skip to Spring? But then, [in an attempt to be balanced] I question whether my wish is a good one.
I have deemed it is not.
While it’s okay to dislike winter, what I’m actually rejecting are the details of it that I have chosen not to play well with:
experiencing cold
experiencing darkness
the need to spend more time indoors
I tell myself that maybe, hidden somewhere in my gene pool, there are sun-craving Polynesian roots (there aren’t) and that I need a trip to Hawaii [immediately and likely, every year January - February]. …Or, I think, maybe it’s cultural programming - the West hates much of what winter is all about (recuperation and a general slowing).
Alas, it’s just me, shirking a million gazillion years of nature’s way of things, not wanting to adjust my expectations or routine.
Yet, there is a gift buried in the snow and chilly wind. The necessity for thoughtfulness in everything from navigating icy roads to writing Christmas cards and donning wool socks (because synthetic and cotton just won’t cut the mustard for these toesies) is enough to slow and steady us, help us recenter, if only a little.
Many of us learned to glorify being busy AND normalised keeping up the same routines, year around… But, …why?
Germans have a saying, “there’s no wrong weather, just wrong clothing”, and it’s a good reminder that we get to choose… to accept & even embrace, what is.
I COULD find ways to enjoy the cold, like dressing the part, taking up snowshoeing or building a fire.
I MIGHT be just fine with limited natural daylight by shifting my schedule slightly in winter and enjoying candlelight (instead of unhealthy blue light) in the evenings.
I CAN explore going slower, more thoughtfully, and taking time to reflect.
Friends, such are the little changes in routine and thought that create mindfulness and are great way to thwart stagnation and burnout.
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
John Steinbeck
A failed resolution & what I’m doing instead
It’s a little embarrassing and frighteningly common: Less than 2 weeks into the new year and I’ve already failed my New Year’s resolution.🙈Below, I’ll tell my tale in a short voice recording:
Following nature’s lead & embracing challenge
The more I strive to yield and to seek nature’s wisdom, the more each season (and change in general) hits differently than it did even just a few years ago. It’s just one way in which I try to play with adversity, instead of making it my adversary. Recently, I challenge myself to list what I enjoy about winter:
3 things winter does really well
It readies me to slow down and let the seeds of this year settle and rest, giving them (me) the best chance to bloom when the timing is right. This could be anything from projects and ideas, to just sim
It’s gives me time to reflect, give thanks, grieve and regroup. More time indoors = more time journaling by the fire, doing art or craft projects, and tending my home. These things in turn yield a great deal of satisfaction and mindfulness.
It reminds me of perspective that discomfort does not have to be suffering and the balance in life and my own biology and those woodland creature out there who make the best of each season.
Above: Feuerzangenbowle at the local Christmas market - A winter favorite!
Sometimes putting the brain creatively to work on finding what’s good about [what one thinks to be] an undesirable situation, allows us to set aside the emotions which block us from finding real solutions.
Point in fact: a simple re-naming/framing of “nap time” and switching from expectations of convenience in winter to an interest in nature and my health, have led to remarkably good outcomes all around.
For me, both winter and challenge are about gaining perspective; embracing the darkness and cold to make light and warmth all the sweeter… enjoying the parenting ride in all of it’s bittersweet unrelenting demands and simultaneous self-growth epiphanies.
Journal Prompts (that really help!)
What does winter mean to you? What were your favorite ways to enjoy winter as a child?
Instead of a New Year’s resolution, what’s a question or quote that would inspire you through the year towards actions you wish to take?
List a couple of things you could you say “no” to this season that would lighten your load. Simultaneously, what interests or intentions (rest, hobbies, relationships) might you shift your focus towards in winter? Try to be specific.
What health & self-care rituals do you have specifically in winter?
How are your favorite winter plants and non-hibernating creatures making the most of wintertime?
A little announcement
Cup Half Full will be doing a little “winter hibernation” and undergoing some changes as I take time for creative contemplation, new offerings, &... growing a BABY! 🥰💖
While I wish to honor & enjoy this season with my attention towards my own health and family, I’ll be posting monthly for the time being. I’d love to have your input for 2025 themes and topics!
I look forward to hearing from you and read EVERY comment/message.
Thank you for reading! 💖
Liking, sharing, or leaving a tip is always deeply appreciated!
Oooooh congrats with your pregnancy ❤️ Maybe that's why you're not feeling winter as much as the moment. It'll be spring before you know it!