It is a time of year for transitions. Several days ago, the winter solstice marked the transition where the days began to grow longer meaning more daylight and less darkness. Also, we find ourselves at the ending of another year, and we’ll soon transition into a new one that holds much promise.
But the transitions that occur now are more subtle and more internal than the other transitions that happen throughout the rest of the year. The leaves have long since fallen, and the natural world seems somewhat lifeless, except for the scurry of small animals and birds trying to find the food that will sustain them through this time. It’s a time of dormancy and hibernation — a saving up and storing up of energy as to be ready when spring comes for new growth and an explosion of energy. It is a season to hide away and rest.
This time of year isn’t about making big bold changes, though so many folks make those big New Year’s resolutions. They never seem to last simply because the time isn’t right. It’s a time to make ready, to prepare, to sustain oneself until the conditions are right. And that is how I am feeling. I feel that big change and transition are coming, and it’s going to be something amazing and beautiful. It’ll be here before I know it, but I don’t know exactly what it will be. But it’s coming. I feel it mounting inside, and just as the days grow longer, the feeling grows stronger. For now, I am slowing down, gathering my resources, and sustaining myself through this time.
I prepare and reflect and make ready for a coming spring when new life, new growth, new energy can push forth. It may not look like it, but it’s a time of transition.