The Weight of Winter

Thank you for being here and following along in this Wild Life on the mountain.
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This morning I’m watching spring mist roll up the valley. It moves slowly, passing between me and the adjacent mountain, into my yard, settling into the snow, beginning its melt.

Typically, I go weeks without seeing another person face-to-face in the winter. My in-person socializing is condensed into short, infrequent visits. The rest of my ‘social’ time/outside influence is online or reading books.
Being disconnected gives me something of an observational perspective, and there are seasonal trends I’ve noticed.

Winter brings us all down, whether we know it or not; we all seem to go through a sort of collective seasonal depression. The high of Christmas is over, and things get stale and grey. There isn’t much to look forward to for a couple of months. Valentine’s Day has passed, and Easter is the next big thing to look forward to for most people.

Even without Facebook and Instagram, I see it here on Substack. Big topics are highlighted, heavier and more to the forefront.
The same events that might feel manageable in July feel overwhelming in February. It feels like a lot. It is a lot. The reason it feels bigger and heavier right now (in my unexpert, observational opinion) is winter.

Writers veer from their usual topics and seem to get caught up in the turbulence. It’s something that’s nearly happened to me multiple times in the past; I’ve drafted articles which I never published. I’ve even drafted articles committing to not publishing articles about my views - because that’s not what I’m about.

Before hitting publish, I remembered - where I am, on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. I realized I was caught up in news and faraway events. Things I can’t change and stories that could just as easily be made up or accentuated to get my attention. Even from a mountain, I’m not immune. Choosing where focus goes is especially important.

Big things are happening around the globe all the time. The difference is media vying for attention in the season when our attention is easy to get. The events are real.. mostly.. They matter. But our exposure to them is relentless. Winter is when our inner resources are lowest.
It isn’t the season to carry the whole world on our shoulders.

Understandably, people get antsy and critical (especially when hiding behind a screen) in the winter. With so much angst being thrown at us, it’s easy to spiral and hard to stay positive. I don’t like seeing family and friends getting caught up in it. This is the time to take a breath and enjoy our own small spaces.

These cold, dark, slow days give us a chance for a break, to sort out our thoughts, focus, and priorities. This is the time to allow ourselves to buffer and enter the new season with a positive outlook - ready to take on what the coming months have in store. The attention-grabbing media tries to rob us of that, and exhausts us before the year gets underway.

We need to protect our peace and allow ourselves to be idle. Fewer headlines, longer walks, more reading, more boredom, less outrage.

The busy days of summer will bring their own highs and lows. Let’s start the next season strong, resilient, and ready for whatever comes our way. For these last quiet weeks of winter, let’s allow ourselves to be calm. We don’t have to exhaust ourselves before the year begins.

I’m not suggesting apathy. Quite the opposite. I’m suggesting we protect our reserves now so we can meet what’s coming with strength. Without our attention for a moment, the sky won’t fall. Once our minds have had time to settle, we can choose our causes and commitments with clarity, instead of being swept up in the noise.

I may have a unique vantage point, far from much of the noise, but it still finds its way up here. I get caught in it as well. The difference is that I can choose to unplug, observe, and decide what I carry forward.

The clocks change tonight. Spring is close.
Outside, mist is rolling up the mountain, and the snow is beginning to soften.
Have you let yourself winter?

Your support helps me continue creating and sharing these glimpses of my Wild Life. The beauty, the challenges, and everything in between. Thank you for walking with me on this journey, and for making it possible to keep doing what I love. ❤️