There’s something about winter that causes us to slow down, to reflect. I suppose you could say the same thing about any season: it’s really a matter of being intentional with your time and attention and being present.
I’m making it a practice to sit and write out some of my thoughts during each season this year—a practice I hope will help me cultivate a sense of peace and gratitude, recognize and acknowledge things I’m learning, and be more present.
We’re all works in progress, right? This is me, sharing where I am and what I’m learning along the way.
So, let’s pretend it’s the weather and say this reflection was inspired by quiet snow days and clean, winter-white landscapes, okay? This is life lately:
Life Lately: Winter Edition
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Making hand-cut fries and BLTs one night, reheating store-bought pizza the next.
Googling ways to use leftover mascarpone cheese (making blueberry French toast).
Learning how to make an Italian cappuccino (never going back to regular espresso).
Trips to the vet for Rory, a cone, and a list of dos and donts for a few weeks. Making sure she takes her antibiotic - a small green capsule hidden in her food bowl (bribing her with rotisserie chicken and a few drops of olive oil).
Sitting on an unmade bed on a Sunday afternoon, reading Just Mercy and waiting for the sheets to dry.
Remembering to water all the houseplants (especially the 100-year-old fern).
Researching floor rugs and lake houses, flights, and “how to fix a refrigerator water dispenser.”
Listening to Frances Mayes’ A Year in the World.
Practicing solitude and being alone with my thoughts (inspired by this interview).
Taking brisk walks around the neighborhood (wearing two pairs of gloves). Appreciating the sunshine when we can, and the beauty of a winter sunrise.
Making snow cream.
Drinking out of the fancy wine glasses and eating dinner picnic-style in the sunroom.
Taking a break from social media on the weekends (finding freedom and learning how to be still).
Singing familiar spirituals, learning new ones (relearning what they have to teach us).
Making time and space for creativity (#doitfortheprocess).
Canceling plans and staying in; wearing wool socks and rearranging the sunroom.
Borrowing library books (staying up too late reading them). Recent reads include: Deep Work, Reading People, The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion, and Made to Stick.
Practicing six little songs—poems of mine that SD set to music (coming soon!).
Teaching melodic intervals and tonal patterns with Hershey’s Kisses and a printable music staff.
Making new friends (and keeping the old).
What about you? What does your life look like lately?
