Our theme this month is Seasons.
Nature’s seasons — spring, summer, fall, winter, and their multiple expressions and variations — offer us rich metaphors for contemplating our lives.
Probably the oldest way of applying the metaphor is to speak about humans as moving through the four seasons as they age. “Now that I’ve reached the autumn of my life…” for instance.
But within that larger arc of our lives, we also move through smaller cycles.
There are times of springlike rebirth and new life. There are summer seasons of light and possibility, when we roll up our sleeves and work with a sense of purpose and energy. There are autumnal times when we gather in the fruits of our labor and reflect on our journeys. And there are times of darkness and difficulty when we withdraw amidst our own personal winters.
Being able to name the season we are navigating — and learning from the examples available to us in the natural world and in the ways humans have navigated these seasons for centuries — allows us to move through these times with greater wisdom and perspective.
I’ve had an experience of this myself lately.
It’s been a long winter for me: My mother’s injury, illnesses, and recovery. The need to sell off memories and move her quickly out of the home of my childhood and to ready a house for her in my own neighborhood here in Virginia. And then her sudden death in the middle of that process and the grief I’ve felt about losing both her and the future we had envisioned together.
I think (or hope, at least) that after these many months, I’m finally experiencing a thaw.
But whether this is the end of winter or just a brief warm spell, I know it has all been made easier by naming it as winter, respecting it for what it is, and responding in the quiet, inward ways suited to that time of year.
Most importantly, I’ve supported my own healing and growth by not trying to force spring to come before its time.
Katherine May’s beautiful book, “Wintering,” was a big help to me with this. And whatever season you find yourself in at this time of your life, I hope the ideas, resources, and experiences we’ll be sharing inside Joybook this month will help you move through it with more grace — and appreciate more fully the gifts of this season.
I hope you’ll join me for this meaningful opportunity to contemplate your life through this new lens.