Winter has arrived here in Queensland. It’s not snowing, but with overnight temperatures in the minuses, the frost has destroyed a good percentage of my garden. Now I know how cold it gets; I’ll fix up the garden in springtime and hopefully avoid the same thing happening again next winter.  

As I sit here, my hands wrapped around my coffee mug, I’m reminded of the cyclical nature of our lives. Autumn, winter, spring, summer and the moon phases are great examples. Patience. Preparation. Plans. Celebrations. Festivals. Seasons. Here we are approaching midwinter, or Yule, a pagan festival. We associate these words with Christmas. Except here in Aussie land Christmas occurs in the middle of our summer holidays. Here it’s early morning, over there for readers in the Northern Hemisphere it’s still Sunday afternoon.

In less than a week we will be at the midwinter solstice. The nights are longer than the days. Do you like the shorter, colder days or are they icky? Do you yearn for longer, warmer, summer weather? Thank goodness for the seasons – we know that no matter how dark it is, better days are ahead.

No matter how well we prepare for the changes, no matter that we know winter is coming, we are still subject to the blahs. We all have good days and bad days. We all need to retreat and relax before going out into the world again. Let’s take the time to reflect, or sleep, read, watch television. Taking stock, taking time to heal, to rest – aren’t optional extras.

Our ancestors knew all about this. Those many years ago who lived by the seasons, before electricity and air conditioning. They would plan and prepare, harvest, cook, make their homes to survive the seasons without any tech at all. I admire that.

I’m not suggesting we turn back to the dark ages. I am reminding myself, and anyone reading this, that it’s okay to let our emotions and moods ebb and flow. Winter is here, but spring is just around the corner. Happy Monday everyone. Have a good week. Take care of yourself, you’ve got this!