Reflect, Appreciate, and Prepare

Winter is a most mystical season! Just take a look at the natural world around us. During the frost of winter, plants submerge their essence into their roots, animals thicken their hides, and ponds harden into ice. This is a time of apparent inactivity yet beneath the stillness there is a hubbub of hidden happenings. Gestation and incubation are bubbling away in preparation for the renewal of spring.

What’s happening in nature is echoed in us. Like it is for the plants and animals, winter is a crucial time for humans to slow down, take stock, and accumulate reserves so we can be at our finest when it's time to spring forward. The short days and the long nights afford us time to look deeply into ourselves and reflect on the past year, appreciate our present, and prepare for the coming year.

But alas, the magic of winter is often over-shadowed by the frenzied bustle of the holidays, jam-packed schedules, and the flu; all poised to deplete our energies. So what to do? I would like to offer a short list of four practices I have found to be supportive and restoring.

Thoughtful Activities:

Techniques such as, meditation, prayer, journaling, and counseling can help move awareness of our deeper desires into our conscious mind. These tools have the ability to calm our emotions, relax the mind, and raise our spirit; just the thing for a cold winter’s night.

Phone A Friend:

The winter months can be isolating for many. This is a great time to reach out and reconnect. Write a letter, send a text. Hold a door, share a smile. Ask for help.

Seek Inner Warmth:

Maybe it’s time to reconsider that breakfast smoothie habit (just for the season) and opt for warmer sustenance. When cold weather strikes a chilling blow, warming and concentrated foods such as soups, stews, and porridges should take center stage.

One of my favorite go-to recipes for winter is Commonweal’s Most Nourishing and Healing Tea from Rebecca Katz, a delicious concoction reminiscent of a chai tea. Rebecca affectionately calls it, “… a backrub in a cup” and I agree!  nourishing-and-healing-tea-recipe

 

Express Gratitude:

Be thankful for every day, every moment! Let me start by saying “thank you” to each and every one of you that has read my blog and offered your encouragement. It means more to me than you might ever know. My hope is you will welcome the arrival of winter and rejoice in this beautiful season of reflection, appreciation, and preparation!

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home." --Edith Sitwell

Distraction in Action

“Look at this Trove, Treasures Untold” –The Little Mermaid, Part of Your World

A while back, my mother offered me a goofy looking three tier basket thingy.

Yikes!

My immediate response was, “Hell yeah I’ll take it!” Now before we go any further in this little saga, I would like to state for the record, I am afflicted with an Island Of Misfit Toys gene that overrides any rational thought regarding saying no to someone else’s unwanted miscellanea. My extra room is full of little junks waiting to be graced by my transformative touch.

“This is a Pickle George!”-Uncle Billy, It’s a Wonderful Life

Usually, I am quite the alchemist when it comes to upcycling and repurposing (I have a rain chain made of old spoons)

It's raining spoons

but the basket thingy proved to be a bit of a challenge. The contraption was not without issues. For one, it was a gaudy bugger; the lack-luster gold plating matched nothing. Two, functionality was nonexistent. The baskets hung too low making them awkward to add and retrieve items. No wonder someone discarded it.

My mistake was attempting to use it as is. I tried it on the bathroom vanity to hold make-up and such –nope. Next trick was to place it on my coffee bar to hold tea bags and packs of hot cocoa – nope again. Ugh! Feeling defeated but not beaten; I returned it to the junk queue as I mulled over its fate. I knew I needed to stop looking at it as it was and start to visualize what it could become.

“I Love it When a Plan Comes Together” -Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith

Every once in a while my basket stand project would pop into my head reminding me of its unfinished state. I continued about my business and then one day I had my ‘eureka’ moment. While scrolling through some old pictures on my phone I came upon photos of a lovely afternoon tea my husband and I enjoyed while on vacation. I found a photo of a stunning array of sweet and savory delights, served on a multi-tiered plate stand!

Tea at the g, Galway Ireland

Home Goods booty

So simple I wondered why I didn’t think of it sooner. All I needed was some paint to refresh the stand and a few attractive plates. Painting the stand would be easy, finding the right plates would be the challenge. Fate stepped in during a random mid-day browse of the clearance rack at Home Goods where I discovered my three perfect plates. I spray painted the stand black and voila, a star was born! I am super happy with my attractive and functional snack stack. Can’t wait to re-visit my treasure trove to find my next project.

Stack of Snacks!

I’ve written about my distractions and sense of purpose

in previous posts. Follow the links to read more and as always, thanks for visiting my blog!