Hard Pants and Winter Rest

In my Mind post, I wrote about how things are always changing. This feels especially true when it comes to the body.

Lately, I’ve been practicing what it means to live cyclically — listening to the seasons of nature, the cycles of my body, and the rhythms of my family. When I pay attention, I notice they aren’t separate at all. They move together.

Right now, it is winter. I’ve worn “hard pants” (what my daughter called jeans as a toddler) exactly twice. I live in soft layers and wearable blankets — shawls, oversized scarves, floor-length cardigans. Soup simmers often. My water bottle has been replaced by a mug, always warm, always nearby.

I’ve canceled plans and kept my world small, not out of avoidance but intention. I am wintering. The trees rest. So do I. The sun leaves. So I stay inside.

The last year was full and demanding, and this season of rest has been a gift. This is what winter looks like in my body, right now.

And it won’t last forever.
Spring is coming.

-Katherine