Last Updated On January 12, 2017
To all those mothering, making, and marching.
Winter has its advantages. Hot cocoa for one. Coffee is a given, but cocoa has a season. Also- interior design. When the weather is good, its like who cares about the interior? You have your traveling pants on, you want outside. But in the winter, nest matters. Issues get addressed that have lain fallow since forever, stuff that has been unconsciously requiring work around but winter says enough is enough! Winter offers altered perspective through exposure. So protect your fingers and toes, remember 90 percent of your body heat escapes through your head!
Winter is a beckoning. Even though I get excited about a NEW year, with all its possibility, and I often launch NEW things during this time, riding that surge- it still has a measured quality. A taking stock. I find myself called back to basics. Exercise programs, sleep schedules, dentist appointments…these things sound boring as I list them but there is something deeply satisfying about wrangling these foundational issues. I try to act all casual about it but I find myself mentioning “yeah, I made a pap smear appointment today” multiple times because I’m proud and know what a freaking slacker I am and I want to act like this is my normal, like I’m the kind of person to remember regular pap smears. I mean, i’m not that person, but in winter I get a taste of it because I have a wild imagination. Winter provides a steadying hand. There’s no need to be flying high or hopelessly grounded.
I also feel the pull to craft. All the ideas and networking and investigating and projects are great, they keep the blood pumping. But winter reminds me to return to the pen. To tuck into a seductive spot, stoke a fire, secure a fleece and a lazy pup…and just write. So winter is also an invitation, a homecoming. I see it in every brush stroke, in every hand stitch. Back to reading, back to cooking, back to doing. I love a home muffled by snowfall. So quiet and singular that I can hear the heat clicking on and off, the buzzer on the dryer below, the dog’s snores. This insulation, closeness, quiets the mind like a weighted blanket. Its a sensory recalibration. Am I bummed out about inclement weather? I mean, yeah sometimes, but mostly I welcome the escape- cancel the things! All the things! Lets reinvent our day! Winter also begets freedom from obligation.
Somehow winter sharpens the perception of time. It is often in January when I wake from my habits to realize I’ve been struggling with the same thing for a full year. That a circumstance has not improved given time. That I’ve actually grown sick of something being this way. Winter provides less excuses. That must be why its characterized as harsh. I felt a driving winter wind last night as I charged up the stairs in the wee hours, a bottle of melatonin clutched rattling in my hand, the dog clicking at my heels like my own personal flying monkey. The hooting and hollering of late night boy gaming hijinks did not melt my winter heart or soften my resolve. I wasn’t nice. I didn’t make suggestions. I told my people what to do and when to do it and hovered relentlessly on my broom until it was done. This is winter, my friends. Winter is not so much about natural consequences or walking on eggshells or hope devoid of action. Winter is not unobtrusive, offering unlimited time and space. This is the season for different tactics- inside the home and out in the world.
Winter is direct, winter bites. Its short leash time. Its time to confront the things that you can’t even believe you have to deal with. Its time to overcome surprise and reticence. “They should be old enough to know better.” Not necessarily. “If they care enough about the about the consequences, they’ll do better.” They look to you as a model of concern, this is not an escape hatch. “If I stand *really* still, somebody else will handle it.” Seriously? Has this ever actually worked? And all this can be reflected into the larger world as we witness people saying and doing unimaginable things, “Is this our new normal? Is this a joke? Is this even legal? Will this just resolve itself on its own?”.
Winter says- mount your broom and take care of business.
Last Updated On January 12, 2017
To all those mothering, making, and marching.
Winter has its advantages. Hot cocoa for one. Coffee is a given, but cocoa has a season. Also- interior design. When the weather is good, its like who cares about the interior? You have your traveling pants on, you want outside. But in the winter, nest matters. Issues get addressed that have lain fallow since forever, stuff that has been unconsciously requiring work around but winter says enough is enough! Winter offers altered perspective through exposure. So protect your fingers and toes, remember 90 percent of your body heat escapes through your head!
Winter is a beckoning. Even though I get excited about a NEW year, with all its possibility, and I often launch NEW things during this time, riding that surge- it still has a measured quality. A taking stock. I find myself called back to basics. Exercise programs, sleep schedules, dentist appointments…these things sound boring as I list them but there is something deeply satisfying about wrangling these foundational issues. I try to act all casual about it but I find myself mentioning “yeah, I made a pap smear appointment today” multiple times because I’m proud and know what a freaking slacker I am and I want to act like this is my normal, like I’m the kind of person to remember regular pap smears. I mean, i’m not that person, but in winter I get a taste of it because I have a wild imagination. Winter provides a steadying hand. There’s no need to be flying high or hopelessly grounded.
I also feel the pull to craft. All the ideas and networking and investigating and projects are great, they keep the blood pumping. But winter reminds me to return to the pen. To tuck into a seductive spot, stoke a fire, secure a fleece and a lazy pup…and just write. So winter is also an invitation, a homecoming. I see it in every brush stroke, in every hand stitch. Back to reading, back to cooking, back to doing. I love a home muffled by snowfall. So quiet and singular that I can hear the heat clicking on and off, the buzzer on the dryer below, the dog’s snores. This insulation, closeness, quiets the mind like a weighted blanket. Its a sensory recalibration. Am I bummed out about inclement weather? I mean, yeah sometimes, but mostly I welcome the escape- cancel the things! All the things! Lets reinvent our day! Winter also begets freedom from obligation.
Somehow winter sharpens the perception of time. It is often in January when I wake from my habits to realize I’ve been struggling with the same thing for a full year. That a circumstance has not improved given time. That I’ve actually grown sick of something being this way. Winter provides less excuses. That must be why its characterized as harsh. I felt a driving winter wind last night as I charged up the stairs in the wee hours, a bottle of melatonin clutched rattling in my hand, the dog clicking at my heels like my own personal flying monkey. The hooting and hollering of late night boy gaming hijinks did not melt my winter heart or soften my resolve. I wasn’t nice. I didn’t make suggestions. I told my people what to do and when to do it and hovered relentlessly on my broom until it was done. This is winter, my friends. Winter is not so much about natural consequences or walking on eggshells or hope devoid of action. Winter is not unobtrusive, offering unlimited time and space. This is the season for different tactics- inside the home and out in the world.
Winter is direct, winter bites. Its short leash time. Its time to confront the things that you can’t even believe you have to deal with. Its time to overcome surprise and reticence. “They should be old enough to know better.” Not necessarily. “If they care enough about the about the consequences, they’ll do better.” They look to you as a model of concern, this is not an escape hatch. “If I stand *really* still, somebody else will handle it.” Seriously? Has this ever actually worked? And all this can be reflected into the larger world as we witness people saying and doing unimaginable things, “Is this our new normal? Is this a joke? Is this even legal? Will this just resolve itself on its own?”.
Winter says- mount your broom and take care of business.
Last Updated On January 12, 2017
To all those mothering, making, and marching.
Winter has its advantages. Hot cocoa for one. Coffee is a given, but cocoa has a season. Also- interior design. When the weather is good, its like who cares about the interior? You have your traveling pants on, you want outside. But in the winter, nest matters. Issues get addressed that have lain fallow since forever, stuff that has been unconsciously requiring work around but winter says enough is enough! Winter offers altered perspective through exposure. So protect your fingers and toes, remember 90 percent of your body heat escapes through your head!
Winter is a beckoning. Even though I get excited about a NEW year, with all its possibility, and I often launch NEW things during this time, riding that surge- it still has a measured quality. A taking stock. I find myself called back to basics. Exercise programs, sleep schedules, dentist appointments…these things sound boring as I list them but there is something deeply satisfying about wrangling these foundational issues. I try to act all casual about it but I find myself mentioning “yeah, I made a pap smear appointment today” multiple times because I’m proud and know what a freaking slacker I am and I want to act like this is my normal, like I’m the kind of person to remember regular pap smears. I mean, i’m not that person, but in winter I get a taste of it because I have a wild imagination. Winter provides a steadying hand. There’s no need to be flying high or hopelessly grounded.
I also feel the pull to craft. All the ideas and networking and investigating and projects are great, they keep the blood pumping. But winter reminds me to return to the pen. To tuck into a seductive spot, stoke a fire, secure a fleece and a lazy pup…and just write. So winter is also an invitation, a homecoming. I see it in every brush stroke, in every hand stitch. Back to reading, back to cooking, back to doing. I love a home muffled by snowfall. So quiet and singular that I can hear the heat clicking on and off, the buzzer on the dryer below, the dog’s snores. This insulation, closeness, quiets the mind like a weighted blanket. Its a sensory recalibration. Am I bummed out about inclement weather? I mean, yeah sometimes, but mostly I welcome the escape- cancel the things! All the things! Lets reinvent our day! Winter also begets freedom from obligation.
Somehow winter sharpens the perception of time. It is often in January when I wake from my habits to realize I’ve been struggling with the same thing for a full year. That a circumstance has not improved given time. That I’ve actually grown sick of something being this way. Winter provides less excuses. That must be why its characterized as harsh. I felt a driving winter wind last night as I charged up the stairs in the wee hours, a bottle of melatonin clutched rattling in my hand, the dog clicking at my heels like my own personal flying monkey. The hooting and hollering of late night boy gaming hijinks did not melt my winter heart or soften my resolve. I wasn’t nice. I didn’t make suggestions. I told my people what to do and when to do it and hovered relentlessly on my broom until it was done. This is winter, my friends. Winter is not so much about natural consequences or walking on eggshells or hope devoid of action. Winter is not unobtrusive, offering unlimited time and space. This is the season for different tactics- inside the home and out in the world.
Winter is direct, winter bites. Its short leash time. Its time to confront the things that you can’t even believe you have to deal with. Its time to overcome surprise and reticence. “They should be old enough to know better.” Not necessarily. “If they care enough about the about the consequences, they’ll do better.” They look to you as a model of concern, this is not an escape hatch. “If I stand *really* still, somebody else will handle it.” Seriously? Has this ever actually worked? And all this can be reflected into the larger world as we witness people saying and doing unimaginable things, “Is this our new normal? Is this a joke? Is this even legal? Will this just resolve itself on its own?”.
Winter says- mount your broom and take care of business.