PEBBLE
Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through.
-Katherine May, shared by Nora in Fairborn, OH
BOULDER
So many feel lethargic, unmotivated or worn out in this hemisphere. We are really not made to rocket straight through winter, ablaze with energy. Look at nature. The ground and plants and animals are deep at rest. This is the natural way of things. Spend some time with the long nights, the moon, solitude, the bare earth, stillness. Be easier on yourself.
-Victoria Erickson, also shared by Nora in Fairborn, OH
PONDER
I instantly connected to today’s Boulder when Nora recently shared it with me. When I messaged her to tell her I planned to use it in an upcoming issue once I found the right match, she replied with ANOTHER fabulous winter-themed quote and I was all, “Maybe I should just call this one Ripples of Nora!!”
These quotes remind us that cycles are a fundamental part of nature and therefore an integral part of being human. It is natural, it is normal, it is *essential* for us to have ups and downs, highs and lows, ins and outs. We sleep at night so we can be awake during the day; we exercise and then we rest to let our bodies recover; we make time to play so that we are effective when it is time to work.
It’s winter here in the northern hemisphere and our bodies, our minds and even our spirits are counting on a little extra rest…even more so since we’ve all been experiencing the “extended winter of Covid” that has complicated all of our lives.
This doesn’t mean we have to make like a bear and hibernate…we’re not built quite like that. We can be awake, just in a different way. Perhaps being Winter Awake is an invitation to turn inward with curiosity and compassion, prioritizing rest and recovery so we can be ready for a growth spurt when the spring comes.
Peace,
Paul
