Gifts of Winter

There is every reason to despair due to all the present events that seem out of our control, but there is every reason to hope that with attention and discipline, we can bring ourselves and our societies, through a kind of seasonal disappearance, back into the realm of choice. – “Essentials” by David Whyte

Reflecting on the past year and holding it within the light of a lifetime’s journey… I am ever more appreciative of the gifts of Winter. Though my sense is that very few of us genuinely embrace the gifts of this season.

I see us struggle when we fall in and out of the traps of our relentless productivity. It seems as if the gifts of Spring and Summer are ever abundant… and there is an underlying anticipation – surely all of this work will create a boundless harvest for us someday?

In what space do we pause to truly savour the fruits of our labour? How do we in turn take in and accept the natural ebb and flow of the harvest? Where do we step back and take in the world around us to see – was there enough for us all?

And then, where do we genuinely allow ourselves to be covered by a thick blanket of snow and allow for what needs to be let go? Where do we make space to nourish ourselves deeply – creating the well grounded space where Spring will someday take shape?

So that I would seek (for all of us) the attention and discipline required to genuinely receive the gifts of Winter… ever inviting us back into the realm of choice.