Wintering

"Wintering" by Katherine May is one of my favourite books of all time. Although I'm sure it's not meant to be classed under the "self-help" category, one of the tell-tale signs that I am struggling is that I am often found wandering around with a well thumbed, bookmarked and underlined copy of this book in my clutches.

“There are gaps in the mesh of the everyday world, and sometimes they open up and you fall through them to somewhere else,”

“We must learn to invite the winter in....learning to recognise the process, engage with it mindfully, even to cherish it. We may never choose to winter, but we can choose how.”

I feel that I have engaged with the process of wintering much more this January. I have slowly and mindfully slipped into it like an icy lake. It has taken a while to let myself go but now I am fully submerged, I am reluctant to leave. Closing my eyes, slowing my breath down, I feel at home here.

I can feel the days are slowly getting longer and we are heading towards the light and I am not ready. I wonder if the glare is going to be too much for me.

My word for 2023 was "light".

I'm having a bit of a rethink.