This week I’ve been thinking about winter and how to get ready for it. The autumnal equinox just passed. Living in a place with four seasons, we know what is coming after. It happens every year. It’s not a big deal. This is what we tell ourselves about winter. This year, I think extra preparation is needed for a season that presents its own difficulties and will be compounded by the ongoing pandemic. This year, I’m going to take winter up as a challenge. These are the things I’m planning and here’s how to join me:
During the fall, be outside as much as you can. Enjoy the warmth of the sun, the fresh muddle of late summer and early fall air, and watch the heartbreakingly blue sky. Soak in as much of this as you can, before the weather gets cold, this magic period after the too hot but before the too cold.
Do a fall version of spring cleaning. While you can still have the windows open, do a satisfying deep clean of your home. As the trees drop their leaves and give up what they no longer need, consider if you have anything you no longer need that you can donate to others.
Investigate new hobbies or activities. Think early about a new project, goal, skill or distraction that you are saving for winter, set it aside and build anticipation during the fall. This way you have something to look forward to and make progress on when it is freezing outside and the snow is falling. It doesn’t matter what it is, just find something new to do in the winter, to have a fresh burst of change.
If you celebrate holidays, think early about how to celebrate them this year and if there is gift giving, what will it look like. Maybe this is the year for gift cards and charitable donations. Maybe this is the year for a virtual New Years. It will be different than what we’ve done in the past but if you consider it now, you can put things in place, or at least know what you think you’d like to do under the circumstances. Find a way that works for you to still have fun and honor traditions with social distancing. This year winter may be quieter than usual and that is okay. Try to enjoy and embrace the simple pleasures of the season and have gratitude for what you have.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy winter. There are many moments: the clear chill of the winter air and the soothing quiet of the outside world. The craving for heavy blankets, warm sweaters, and hot chocolate. The free workouts you get with snow removal. The stunning sight of sparkling flakes drifting down from the sky, so delicate and beautiful. There are things to love here but winter is also hard. The cold freezes your face, chaps your lips, and cracks the skin on your hands. Some days the sound of the wind alone sets the chill down to your bones. And then the darkness. We don’t hibernate but the low powered sun seems to suggest that we try.
As of the Winter Solstice, we start very slowly climbing out of darkness again. It is a small amount every day but it builds. Remember that a small thing each day can lead to a world of change. Before you know it, it will be spring again.
Enjoy the fall. Don’t miss it for worry of what comes after or for mourning what was left behind. Fall has lovely things to appreciate. There are always new things to learn and good times to be had.
Short version: Preparing for Winter
• Be outside as much as you can, enjoying the fall
• Do a fall cleaning to get rid of things you don't need anymore
• Think about a new hobby or activity to do over the winter
• Think about the optimal way to celebrate holidays this year
• Before we know it, it will be spring again.
Comments