The Promise Letter
Happy Tuesday :),
The weather is turning. The fiery colors of fall are starting to slip away and winter is beginning to come out to play. The season of bonfires, sweatshirts, apple picking and all things pumpkin will be traded with scraping off cars, snowy mornings, hot chocolate, and holiday cheer.
Though we aren’t near the end of fall quite yet, based on the calendar, our bodies feel it. There is an instinctual shift. All of a sudden your house feels a little more welcoming, that hot cup of coffee or tea feels more comforting and those sweatpants feel a tad bit cozier. A primal urge to sit by a crackling fireplace comes to the surface.
The days are shorter, the nights are longer and we are left to be with ourselves more and more as the desire to leave the house fades with each passing day. This season invites us to self reflect. It’s even called for in the holidays coming up. Gratitude, loved ones, and new goals. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. This is the time to look inwards. To look at all the lessons you learned during the hustle and bustle of spring and summer and see what else you still have to work on.
Who were you then, who are you now, and who are you going to be?
Once the holiday season passes we are left alone in the depths of winter to fend for ourselves and just try to get through. Push through until March. We can rush through this season of reflection, waiting to see the first robin in the front yard or the first buds on the trees. Or we can take advantage of the cold weather and see what buds are forming within ourselves.
We can choose to complain about how long winter lasts and how we hate the cold and snow once Christmas is over. Or we can choose to take advantage of the opportunity to slow down and learn about who we are. Because in all reality, when spring comes, does it make you that much happier? Or does it just give you the opportunity to complain about something else? ie: the rain, it's too hot, or being insanely busy.
There’s always something to complain about if you so choose. The less we resist the uncontrollable and surrender to our external world, the calmer our inner world becomes. The happier we become.
I hope we can all take this time to move a little slower, feel into what our bodies are craving a little bit more, and uncover another layer of ourselves we were unaware of before.
Embrace the sacredness in the silence, the calmness of the dark, and the relaxation in the lack of activity. We have an entire world inside of ourselves. Give it some love and envision some dreams. You owe it to yourself. If not now, when?
I hope this season of reflection, family, and coziness is one of joy and laughter for you.
I’ll be with you on the journey.
Namaste,
Alissa
Current book(s) I’m reading:
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate
Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin
Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho
3Q’s
Quote of the week:
Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.
John Boswell
Questions I’ve asked myself:
What can I do to slow down this season?
Queue worthy tune when you’ve got the AUX: