The title to this blog could have been a thousand things, honestly. I am not sure how much “hit ratio” this one will succeed in pulling either. It is not a “catchy” phrase. This is not a fun, luxurious, flashy, sexy, or unique one. Starting things slowly has a negative connotation to it as many people view slow as lazy, old, lacking energy and being a procrastinator. Often people shy away from it. But it is exactly what I believe many of us need to hear today.
You are running at 1000 percent all day everyday but are so fried you haven’t worked out in weeks, your list is a mile long, you no longer have time to iron your clothes so they go to the dry cleaning, and you can’t see where date night is going to fit in between ballgames, band practice, church small group, and your bosses birthday. So you crash every night in front of the TV, social platforms on your phone, or the gaming system. You want to read a book, you want to drink more water, you want to go for long hikes and write a novel, you don’t want to push your snooze 5 times on your alarm but you are bone tired and literally have nothing left. unless you short change someone this is the way it is. So you short change yourself.
The phrase “Slowly” at this junction can even cause stopping all together due to a lack of real momentum behind it. So you keep pushing through.
However, we as family found ourselves in the pace where we said we don’t want to keep up with anymore. NOT one more thing, not push through or go all out. NO MORE! but do you quit your kids sports? Your job? your church? your date night?
We wanted to re-set before the New Year. How do you do that? We had a 1000 parties, end of year job stuff, kids school concerts and last minute shopping. On top of that we had family Christmas, work parties, and a new puppy! It seemed impossible and yet were at our max and knew it.
Instead of planning a New Year’s Eve party and going to everything, we cut half the things out, including some Christmas presents! the kids came down with sickness right at the end of school and instead of fighting it they crawled into bed for two whole days! We then booked a trip to get off the grid. We told the kids no iPads and we were going to go tech free for a few days. Now I am not a person that wants to go “prairie land”. I love suburban life and all that ATL offers me but sometimes you just have to turn off the noise.
We hit the road but we didn’t want to go far. I didn’t have the bandwidth to deal with airports or 7 hours in a car. So we found a historical spot just an hour and half away from us and booked a tiny house cabin. For Five Days!!! Learning to prioritize enough sleep, vacation days, health and sabbath is a success in and of itself!
After feeling such rest in such a deep way we decided we would make this a bigger priority BEFORE we got to this deep exhaustion level again. What we didn’t realize was that winter would give us more! We got home and had back to back weeks of snow days! Just days into the new year we had more down time. The lesson I have learned is that following the seasons pattern is life changing!
- In Winter: Hibernate – sleep, read, slow down, focus on your internal environment, wear clothes that are for comfort and shielding.
- In Summer: Play – Go on vacation, eat cold foods and all the summer crops, focus on kids, outside exercise, drink more water
- In Spring: Grow/dream and evolve – Spring organize! Jumpstart your exercise, meet new friends, start a club, make sure your goals (that you made in winter) still work for you – start something new, learn something, plant a garden or buy flowers, create!
- In Fall: Shed – Eliminate what no longer works. Do a detox, clean your closet, budget cut, be ruthless with elimination in all areas, but also start transitioning to warm cozy foods, soups and sourdough and pumpkin! Go see all the doctors, (dentist, Chiro, DM, specialists). Donate, give back, read more books.
I hate winter to be honest. Here in the south it is cold and we have freezing rain instead of snow for almost six weeks straight. Days are grey, and nights are black. Motivation is low and being tired is a state of being. Embracing winter is not something I do. Embracing more coffee? Yes! I go thru the season kicking and screaming. Holding on for dear life till sunshine and flowers return. I have SAD (seasonal affective disorder) on a whole other level so winter is not my thing. This year, I chose to not fight it so much but to embrace its rhythm just a bit more. I am not perfect and I still have a lot to go in this area but…
If you are feeling pulled towards slowing down, embrace the season!
Winer is for hibernation. Aligning ourselves with the natural rhythms of the earth has scientific backing to be very therapeutic. Winter is a time for deep rest and caring for yourself. Why do we feel the need to keep pushing when the rest of the natural world stops and literally hides? Invite the magic of solstice, slip into a dreamy state, and tuck yourself in. Embrace the art of a slow winter hibernation – deep sleep, fire gazing, reading, warming foods, socks, candles, cozy sweaters, and hot tea. Do less and see what it can do for you!
- * If you live in ATL go check out Barnsley Gardens for a beautiful reset as you step back in time!
Creating Exceptional 