Winter's Calling: Time to Restore

Entering the New Year with Compassion

Welcome, friends—and happy New Year to you! Thank you for being here.

Welcome to you with whatever you’re holding—a sense of sadness or expectation, some grief or maybe quiet contentment with your life. Welcome to you, whether you are going through transition right now or entering the new year with a predictable routine.

Each year, our larger culture tells us to make resolutions—to change some part of ourselves that isn’t quite good enough. We need to lose weight, get organized, be better in some external way. Grind culture tells us that we should be working harder and all of the time.

What if instead of making an outer change, we set an intention to pay attention to what is giving us energy, what’s lifting our spirits—and do more of that?

Our theme for the month of January is rejuvenation: the act of giving new energy or vigor.

Wherever you are located in physical space, whatever the season looks like around you, we can think of winter time, especially the transition to January, as a season for rest.

The festivities that surround the darkest time of the year have faded now and the quiet remains if we notice it.

When we think of the winter season as an archetype, it can offer us an opportunity to slow down, to pause, to notice, to nurture.

A story about rejuvenation:

When my son George, who turns 20 this month, was four years old, we were part of an early intervention home-based program for children with autism. Every afternoon, I had a list of activities to do with him to improve his motor functioning and communication. We worked on things like how to hold a crayon, cut with a scissors, focus on the page of a book, put on his shoes. I worked diligently and intensely because parents are told that early intervention is the best measure to ensure a child’s growth.

One day, I shared honestly with the therapist guiding our program about how tired and burnt out I was. Her prescription: stop in the middle of the program every afternoon, make a cup of tea and just relax and cuddle with George.

I struggled hard with her advice. It was wasting precious time!

But when I reached the threshold of exhaustion, I was forced to listen to her. Slowing down and pausing changed everything. Pressure began to fall away. George and I shared laughs and cuddles; the program became fun again.

George still struggles with all of the skills that we were working on then, but we have never struggled with our deep connection. Those cuddle breaks were rejuvenating and strengthened our relationship.

Writing Practice:

Set aside 5-7 minutes for this practice. Write in a journal or open a ‘Journey with The Season’ document where you can return each Sunday.

Make a list of things in your life that give you energy (these could be activities, passions, people, art and media, etc.).

Look over your list and select one thing that you’re especially curious about.

Describe it in detail: When do you engage with this life-giving thing? Where are you when you do it? what about it do you most appreciate? How does it make you feel? What resistance comes up around it?

When you finish writing, take a deep breath and read back what you wrote.

A deepening writing practice for now or later in the week:

More and more, I am learning that rejuvenation feels like…

Each week when you write, feel free to share any part of it here for our community OR email me at gabriellekm@gmail.com.

What’s rejuvenating me this week:

• Bonnie Raitt’s song, Living for the Ones

• Insight timer, a free meditation app

• This conversation with Loretta Ross on the Ten Percent Happier podcast

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Thank you for being here! Word of mouth is the primary way that I’m growing this community. Inviting friends to join us is golden—I’m grateful!