May I be honest with you?
For all my talk of slowing down, I haven’t always done it. Especially not in the last few weeks. December blurred past. My rhythms, routines, and even my work have fallen to the wayside in the rush and scurry of the holidays.
This week, though, in final quiet days of 2022, I return to those peaceful routines. I write, I work, I move gently in my life and in my body. I give myself permission to say no, to change my mind, to act with intention rather than reaction.
A Reset for the New Year
I don’t intend to hit the ground running on January 1. I intend to keep it slow, intentional, and restful. I’ll take more naps, read more books, and take more breaks while I put in an honest day’s work.
It’s strange that the new year starts in the middle of winter, at least for us in the northern hemisphere. Winter is for slowing down, with shorter days and colder temps. It’s a time of rest and restoration, of interior work rather than exterior fruit.
And yet our world tells us to hurry, to exercise more, to set goals, to start now or it will always be too late.
Goals are good. Exercise is good. But hurrying and starting before you’re ready are not.
So here’s an invitation as we glide into 2023: rest when you need to, pray every day, and give your attention to your insides—your spirit, your soul, your mental wellbeing—rather than exterior progress that lets you brag to the world.
You don’t have anything to prove to anyone, not even yourself.
Do your inside work, and I promise you this: When spring comes, just as buds fill the trees and new blades of grass sprout from the earth, you’ll see the fruit of your quiet winter days.
It’s still Christmas!
Christmas is here, but I designed my Advent 2022 Resource Guide to see you through to the Epiphany (which we celebrate on January 8, 2023). Grab your free guide today by filling out the form below right now.
Treat yourself to solid resources that will make Christmas come alive for you in new ways.
