So, here we are, the beginning of January!
And you're probably being told from all kinds of places that it's back to work, back to "the grind," with the gusto of a thousand energy drinks.
We're encouraged to start a new routine, to kick it up a notch, to barge into the new year with a jumpstarted purpose and drive.
Because it's the new year, and that means something!
Right?
Meh...maybe, maybe not.
As you've heard me reflect before, I think there can be a lot of beauty found in the "release and renew" of a new year.
But, at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere, this also happens in the dead of winter.
When the nature around us is cycling through its beautiful months of coziness, slowness, inner reflection...
...we're somehow supposed to forget that we, too, are nature, and that the boldness and urgency of a Happy New Year can feel incredibly counterintuitive?
It's why many people feel like the spring equinox is actually when the new year starts, and for good reason.
That's when the seasonal cycles shift toward higher energy, brighter days, the blossoming of spring and the fiery sun that's moving swiftly into the boldness of summer.
But now? Now is hibernation time.
Of course, that doesn't mean we need to dismiss any kind of renewed energy that a January 1st can inspire in us.
Here, I'm speaking to the parts of us that might be feeling a bit overwhelmed, or tired, or like burrowing under a blanket and not doing anything for the next few months.
Because those parts, honestly, get no love this time of year (or ever, really).
And the reality is that those parts of us are simply reflecting the phase of the year that nature is in.
There's nothing wrong with it, nothing shameful about it, and honestly, I would love if we could embrace it just a little bit more.
And while our systems aren't really set up to encourage or allow a months-long respite (yet!)...
...my hope is that we can continue to build in those spaces where we allow ourselves to slow down.
To embrace radical rest.
To honor the energy shifts, wherever they lead us.
And to remember that we don't actually need to push ourselves in the ways that white supremacist patriarchal capitalism desperately needs us to.
These systems keep us distant from our bodies, our needs, our energy for a reason...
...they need us to be tired.
To be disconnected (from ourselves, from each other, from the nature outside of us).
To not question the status quo, to assume that what we've been given is the "only" way.
Which is why it's so easy to dismiss such basic needs: rest, flow, lack of urgency, connection.
We're told these don't matter. Go be productive. Don't listen to your bodies or your communities.
So, this January, remember: sometimes tending to yourself with deep, radical love and care is all that needs to be done.
And while, for now, that probably will need to happen amidst some of the to-do lists that allow us to keep the lights on and our bellies full...
...tending to your needs in any possible, accessible way is still really, unquestionably important work.
It's a part of creating the world we truly, actually want to live in.
I can't think of any other resolution more valuable than that.
Hibernation mode: activate!