winter wrap-up

it's now the beginning of april. temperatures should average in the mid-50s by now in chicago, and instead we are still faced with abrasive 20s & 30s. the entirety of the midwestern population is more than ready for warmer weather to join us, and we are all fiercely looking ahead as we chug through each day that we have to continue to zip up our down parkas. 

but, before we embrace the blossoming of the buds, the rain that will soak the earth and bring fragrant spring smells upon the wind, and take in as much sunshine and vitamin d as we possibly can, i wanted to honor what this winter season has done for me. 

i was talking to my mom on the phone yesterday, and she brought up how unfortunate it is that our society no longer honors the seasonality of our lives. winter is very much a season for introspection, she said. it's a time to go into yourself and take care of what needs tending to inside so that when spring comes we, too, are ready to blossom and show up as a better version of ourselves because of the work we did in the winter. this so intensely resonated with me because this winter season has truly been a season of personal growth and development. it will in no way end once the warmer weather does come, but i have savored the time and the excuse to stay inside either absorbing inspiring content, writing blog posts, cooking new recipes, or continuing to nest in our little home.

over this winter, i have spent more time cultivating gratitude, considering and reevaluating my values, and trying to figure out what i want my life to look like, than in any other season of my life. alex and i both have done so much hard work on ourselves and our partnership, and i can honestly say that we are the best versions of us that we have ever been because of it. our circumstances are in no way perfect or optimized for cultivating consistent happiness, but we have learned how to separate our circumstances from who we are - and we get better time together and make more happen because of that. i've never considered myself a maker or creator, but these past six months i've come closer to that than i ever thought possible for myself, and goodness has it been rewarding. 

i am really excited to see how the past five months of internal work manifest into external decisions and changes in the next five months. what i've learned is that living a life of intentionality can be both terrifying and rewarding all at once. you're forced to face a lot of weaknesses and problems that you would never had discovered had you not done the work to examine your life in the first place. then, when you want to take action and make a change, sometimes you can't immediately act and that can leave you with a sense of deep frustration and anger. but, ultimately, declaring your values and working to cultivate a life that aligns with those values will help you figure out what decision you will inevitably have to make, and it forces you to be courageous when the time to act does come. i feel like winter is a season of learning, discovery, and goal-setting, and summer is the time to act, to jump, to manifest.