Winter

I have been doing a lot of thinking and reading and musing about winter lately. One, it's winter. Two, this is a challenging transitional season full of a lot of inward focus and less outward blooming. So, the focus works on both the allegorical and literal levels. 

Two major influences for these musings are Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak and the less creatively named Wintering by Katherine May. 

The takeaway is that all seasons matter - we need them all, and they all carry their own lessons. 

Palmer says that winter is clarity. Everything's out there in its stark nakedness. It's hushed; it's quiet. Winter has its own beauty, and it's a crisp one, sometimes desolate. 

In winter, all the growth is on the inside, under the surface. Roots grow deep, and trunks strengthen. The world is healthier for winter, but all of the external growth that comes as a result happens in other seasons. Yet, without winter, the external outpouring of energy of the showier seasons could never be.

We get social messages that our lives should be all summer all the time - all fun, all productivity, all blooming. But there is no summer without winter, and the needs and growth we experience in winter are profound and essential. 

What are your lessons in the clarity of winter? This winter, I am taking in the truth that blooming all the time is unhealthy. It is healthy and necessary to rest and grow deep roots and gather strength. That outward stillness has a beauty all its own. That's the beauty of this winter to me.

What was Special Today?

One thing I've added to my day's end journaling is a mention of what was special about that day. It doesn't have to be something huge - maybe I tried a recipe for the first time (cooking is new to me), overcame a challenge, saw something interesting or noteworthy, or experienced a milestone. But I look for something in every day that was special. 

Here's the theory: when our days are largely the same, our brains collapse them in memory as, effectively, duplicates. That's why when we think back over the past few months, it seems like time has passed so quickly - if our days are largely following the same pattern, they are collapsed down into more like a single typical day, and looking back, they just feel like a fast blur. Our brains love efficiency, and this is a way they can make storage easier. Our brains are so smart and lazy; they're wonderful. 

That's why time really sticks out when you think back on vacations or special events - those days aren't collapsed in memory because they're novel and different. 

Now, there's nothing particularly wrong with this, and there's nothing wrong with patterns. I loooooove patterns and habits. But, if you're looking to slow down your experience of time and savor your memories a little more, one way to do that is to record something special about the day. This helps the day to stand out a little more in your memory and reduces the sensation that your time is a blur in the rearview mirror.

Here are a few examples from my journal: 

• Today was special because I went to the eye doctor with my daughters. It's not a big deal, but I know I don't have many of these times left when I'm helping them out and it was a sweet little time.
• Today was special because I did my 4th ever intake! I really love that everything about counseling is still new and filled with firsts.
• Today was special because we went to our first ever Utah Hockey Club game! So fun. And I made gyro meat for the first time - nice work.

If you want to slow time down a little and savor your memories, try jotting down why the day was special in your evening journal. Bonus points if you can even take a moment to notice yourself enjoying the thing while you're enjoying it - that savoring will slow down time even more!

ps - this content was inspired by my application of Laura Vanderkam's Off the Clock, which is a fabulous book that you should totally savor and enjoy.

End of Day Journaling

For years I've had a regular practice of morning journaling. It's a time for me to reflect, pray, introspect, and think about the day to come. I used to journal in one big morning chunk, but Laura Vanderkam's book "Off the Clock" challenged me to change up my journaling routine by splitting morning and evening journaling. 

I found that in my morning journaling, I was spending a lot of time thinking about the previous day - my gratitude, feelings, frustrations, etc. I don't think that's particularly wrong or bad, but I wanted to be more present-oriented in the morning. So, I started journaling about the day at the end of the day (I know, it sounds obvious, but it took a whole time management book for me to get the idea). 

Here's what I journal at the end of each day:

• How today was special
• How I felt today (I have to do special concentrated work to stay connected to my feelings)
• Three people I'm grateful to and why
• What I'm grateful to myself for today

It's a lovely close to the day and helps me bookend whatever happened that day before I head to bed. 

I'm curious - what journaling approaches have you been using lately? What's working for you?