The Filler Months

Greetings all,

I hope you've had a happy holiday season.  We've come to the post holiday season now.  Many of us have made resolutions,  Many are assessing to see if our pants still fit after all of our feasts with family and friends.

Here in the northern hemisphere we have come to what are generally the coldest and grayest months of the year.  We don't have any more big holidays to distract us from the darkness.  The cold tends to make us stay in and retreat from the world.  Some people like this time if they have personal projects lined up.  With less frenetic activity of the other 3 seasons and with no more major holidays until spring it can be an excellent time to limit distractions and make major headway towards personal goals.  For others it can be very challenging as the parties are over and in many cases our loved ones have departed to far flung locations.  If winter weather events occur we can then feel even more isolated, trips out may be limited to just work and out to get necessities.

I myself am originally from Florida.  A real winter wasn't something I experienced until late in my childhood.  Every year winter is a struggle for me emotionally.  The time between New Years and the spring equinox have often felt like the filler months.  I make a lot of plans for the spring and just sort bide my time.  This year I have decided not to wait until spring has sprung to get out and see people.  While it hasn't been too cold yet I have made an effort to spend at least 20 minutes a day outside walking.  This alone has helped me feel better.  It isn't just the natural light although that is part of it, but connecting with the world outside my home.  Feeling the trees even as they dream of the spring to come helps me to feel a part of something larger than my own life.  I hear the crows calling and feel the wind and it makes me feel more alive and less caged in.

Beyond my outside/exercise/spiritual practice I'm also making a commitment to not go full hermit this year.  I'm planning movie nights, craft nights and regular game nights.  Fun does not have to wait until the world turns green again.  Besides all the social plans I also have a ton of planning and work to do for my own business as well putting together my first book.  I hope to have that ready by the summer.  This year I finally think that I will have no "filler months" in the year, and that every season will be filled with life if a slightly different flavor of it.

So how does this apply to you?  Well do you have a season that you see as filler?  What if you found a way to get out of your head in that season?  What if you used that time to try something different?  It couldn't hurt after all the worst that can happen is that it can be a filler of a different sort.  What ways can you reach out and connect with something you love no matter the time and circumstances?  Ponder it in the time between the holidays and the coming of spring.

Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle