off season

driving north on 35—sandwiched between the bay and the ocean—the street lights are blinking yellow. in late fall, the summer crowds leave the shore, and locals are left exhausted by another summer of reef-unfriendly sunscreen and tommy bahama beach chair fossils. summerers are called bennies down here.

once the street lights are switched to yellow, you certainly don’t miss the crowds, but it’s also kind of eerie. no one is hanging out—besides going to the dog park, walking the boardwalk, or hitting up ACME.

as I was leaving this time around, I watched the blinking yellow lights, looked left and right at the water (blessed), and thought—off season. seasonality is mostly heard regarding food—oh ya, that squash is in season. in coastal communities, it’s more about striped bass or flounder season. the question of Is it in season? makes me think about its opposite. what’s out of season?

the season is winter. the element is water. the organs are kidneys and bladder. the sense organ is the ears—similar shape to the kidneys. ‘special care in the form of nutrition, warmth, and rest’*. much of nature is hiding in her roots during winter. paying attention to output—work and feelings. we must continue to move, but not overdo it—that’s for summer.

stagnant water is ripe for disease. how can you tune your waters to move in a way that feels rhythmic?

*staying healthy with the seasons by elson m. haas