Winter

When my daughter was very young, I used to love walking her to nursery in the mornings.
She would ask dozens of questions, and I would point out different plants and birds and so forth, getting her to see more, notice more, and know that she’s not isolated from nature, but a part of it.

One day she asked me why trees shed their leaves in Autumn, so I started to explain how the tree is getting ready for the winter by detoxifying itself – it pulls all the goodness out of the leaf – the chlorophyll, the nutrients etc, and then it will push all the unwanted waste back into the leaf before allowing it to fall to the floor – where it recycles back into the soil.

I explained that to a tree, a year is like a day for humans.  In the spring the tree wakes up, and gets dressed, in the summer it enjoys the day, filling up on all the goodness the sun, rain and Earth can provide it, and in the autumn it starts to get ready for bed, shedding its clothing ready for a sleep over winter.

The more I ponder this simple analogy, the more I see how we could follow the same process – we wake in the morning, and get ourselves ready for the day ahead – we should be the most productive in the earlier stages of the day, putting in most of the effort while we are still energised.  As the day goes on, we should produce our fruit (the fruits of our labours) and as evening draws forth, think about detoxifying our bodies, cleansing ourselves ready for a good night’s sleep.

We could extend this to the week, the month and the year – maintaining a clear focus on our habits, allowing our bodies to follow the natural processes, allow ourselves time to detoxify ourselves, and bring our “self” back into harmony with the seasons.

Time is a relative construct – seconds, minutes and hours are a fabrication – but the revolution of the planet, and it’s journey around the sun are very real, and our bodies, once fully in tune with these cycles, have become out of synch.  We rush about, plugged in – receiving our rhythm from our technology, out-of-touch with the subtle vibrations of the Earth.

As I was driving home from work yesterday, having spent the day in front of the computer;  talking to people on the telephone, fixing their IT problems, delivering customer service.  My mind was on updating Facebook, checking Twitter, text Mum.  I could feel myself gripping the steering wheel tighter as the cars in front of me braked, my body tensing as I checked the rear-view mirror to see if the vehicle behind was also slowing down, had also seen the hazard.  I became aware that I wasn’t fully aware – I was distracted.  I felt very uncomfortable because I realised I had driven a few miles without noticing I’d done so.

I brought my attention back to the present, and noticed up ahead, a shaft of sunlight fell across the road – as I drove through it I smiled, realising that it was the only patch of sunshine I had seen that day – and I was very glad I hadn’t missed it. 

It made me think about how little attention we pay to our surroundings, how much we take nature for granted.  When we step outside, do we notice the birdsong? Do we smell the scent of the damp earth, the fallen leaves, or see the “crispness” of the light on a cold winter morning?

This year my resolution is going to be to bring myself back in tune with my surroundings.  I am going to eat carefully what by body craves rather than grabbing food on-the-go.  I am going to go to bed when I’m tired, not when the TV programme I’m watching is finished.  I am going to get outside more, walk more, leave my smartphone at home more.  

I’m going to reconnect, and allow this precious planet of ours to recharge me.  By the time we get to Spring, I will be ready for the renewal! Happy New Year!!