monday morning mindfulness: two ways to conceptualize winter

I am so thankful for this online community & I want to be a little more intentional about chatting about things, encouraging one another, & reminding each other that many of us are probably feeling similar things, or have at different times. These monday morning mindfulness posts are going to be little glimpses into my heart & life: the good, the bad & the ugly. So much can be learned from different experiences, especially when you are practicing mindfulness.

With all of that being said, today’s topic is: two ways to conceptualize winter.

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The last time I was at therapy, we were discussing my mindset heading into the holidays. She asked how I felt about winter & I excitedly told her that I LOVE WINTER!!!!! I told her that I have always morbidly joked with my family that if they all die & I survive that I’ll be peacing out of Kansas & moving somewhere where it’s cold all the time. I’m too much of a homebody so I’m stuck here for the time being (thankfully lol).

From across the room in her blue suede chair, she had a small smirk & asked me what I like so much about winter. I told her that I love being cold & cozy, I love the holidays, I love that it gets darker. After I told her all this, I happily sighed. The next thing she said blew my mind.

She said: there are two ways people conceptualize winter. 1) it’s dark & cold & lonely & sad, & 2) it’s cozy & restful & peaceful & everything slows down for a bit. Whichever way you conceptualize it shows what you’re seeking… 1) community & togetherness, & 2) rest & peace & a slower pace.

The reason I was so caught off guard when she said this is because one of my biggest goals that I’ve been working on in therapy has been incorporating stillness into my life. Not waiting for the holidays or breaks or summer to catch up on it. (We used the word ‘stillness’ because to me rest & peace & calmness are all wrapped up in that one word).

Isn’t it wild how our bodies & minds can be subconsciously telling us what we need even through which seasons we prefer?

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11