Today marks the final day of January, which to me and the majority of us is the most difficult month of the year. Getting through it is an accomplishment in itself. February now beckons, a softer month, a romantic month and one that promises a long weekend.
As always, the new year means making new year's resolutions and now, by the end of January, some have been kept and some neglected. It's cold and gloomy and most of us tend to withdraw from too much contact with the world in these cold couple of months, opting to stay in, cook and cosy up with a good book or escapist series or film. Life is slow and sleepy, seemingly uneventful and quiet, a chance to refresh until spring arrives when the feeling to venture out again is more prevalent.
To me, this time of year means storing up knowledge and setting goals, whether they be visiting a place you have been meaning to for a while and learning something new, or making time to exercise or set a reading goal. January and February seem like months of slumber but they can also mean quietly and unassumingly working on yourself so that by spring and summer, something within you is ready to bloom and blossom.
Katherine May, in her book 'Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times,' explains the following, "Wintering brings about some of the most profound and insightful moments of our human experience, and wisdom resides in those who have wintered."
So it is, that the bleakest months of the year, can in fact be beneficial for reflection and introspection and give more meaning and understanding to how our life is progressing. A little bit of wintering goes a long way, if we let it.
