....a foundation

Yogis,
My grandson was building towers with those rectangular cardboard blocks that many of us had growing up. Red, blue and yellow, they weigh almost nothing but allow for great building and even better knocking down. Each time he would get to a certain height where that one more block would cause it to be slightly off center, wobble and crash to the ground. Then I heard him yelling for me to come and see!

There stood a quite tall building, looking very centered and secure. Not wobbly at all. He wanted me to walk all around it to see his design. That’s when I noticed the smaller block stacks he had placed against the base on each of the four sides. This one was different. It had a strong foundation and could support a tower which reached for the sky.

I feel like winter is similar…….

The cold has settled in for real here on the east coast. Highs in the thirties and lows in the teens. Weathermen quoting wind chills in their forecasts and me feeling like it takes ten minutes to get all the winter gear on every time I head out for a simple walk. Everything now brown and quiet.

It can be easy to wish winter away and try to just pass the time, but that would be a waste. In fact, I realized last night that winter is one third over and I had a moment of panic! I have so much I planned to do in the downtime of winter to prepare me for the upward growth of spring and I feel like I have barely begun!

Winter offers us free time. What other season has that superpower?

I didn’t even start my 1000 piece puzzle until this week. I am finally getting back into the swing of painting and have so much I want to create. I haven’t spent nearly enough time on writing my book, haven’t poured through the seed catalog to begin visualizing this year’s garden and have four novels stacked up waiting to be read. Soups to be made, baths to be taken, meditation to do and so much good tea sitting on my counter.

And I definitely haven’t dreamed enough……

All of these winter activities feed me. They feed my soul. They are done solo, quietly, and with intention. They give me the opportunity to take stock of where I am and build the platform from which I feel ready to leap into the frenzy of spring when it arrives. If I barrel through winter and slam right into spring I will be like the tower with no support. Wobbly. 

Use your winter wisely. Move slowly. Take time to sit and do nothing. Be quiet. Be patient. Listen for guidance. Strengthen your roots and build your foundation. There is no rush.

Cabbage soup tonight,
SARAH