Thursday, July 3, 2014

Slow Days: Following Winter's Lead



One day recently, Grace was home from school with the sniffles. I cancelled my plans of a play date with a friend and with wet weather forecast, was secretly glad of an excuse to hang out at home all day, pottering, enjoying time with my girls and resting.

We slept in and then lingered in our pyjamas longer than usual, without the call of the school bell to drag us out of the house. A few ABC2 shows were watched while I popped dinner into the slow cooker. The heater was on to keep us warm and toasty and the majority of our day was spent in our family room while the rain fell gently outside pretty much all day long.  Grace and Sophie played dolls and doctors, dressed Barbies and did endless craft.  I put on a pot of soup, made a dent in the washing pile (rotating item after item in front of the heater to dry them) and come the end of the day, even managed to flick through a few magazines.



Similarly, a few Saturdays ago it bucketed down all afternoon.  While the girls had some post-lunch quiet time in their rooms, Paul tinkered in his shed (his plans to mow the lawn hampered by the rain) and I drank cuppa after cuppa as I worked on my ideas for a new blog header, perched right by the fire, cosy and comfortable. Usually such a 'frivolous' afternoon would leave me feeling guilty about everything else I was neglecting, but on this particular wet Saturday, I did so happily.

A while back after reading a past issue of Good magazine, I jotted down a paragraph from an article written by Rebekah White.  She said,

"Turns out, winter's the perfect time to rediscover the joys of doing less.  As the days ebb, the evenings darken and the weather closes in, the body naturally gravitates towards a slower pace.  It's a welcome change from summer's high energy, activity-packed months, a time for inner restoration and, whether you are outdoors or in, for enrichment of a quieter kind."

At this time of year, I am happy to indulge my hermit-like tendencies... to take days slowly, do odd jobs here and there and to not be afraid of spending a lazy afternoon relaxing.  Listening when my body tells me it needs some chill out time rather than a day of tackling an endless to-do list is something I've learnt to embrace during the cold winter months.

How about you?  Do you too crave simple days when the temperature drops?


8 comments:

  1. Most definitely! Days and days of rain aren't much fun with two high energy boys about but i do love the occasional rainy day that forces us to stay in and play in our PJ's and enjoy the slow. I am only slightly envious that your girls sit and draw and craft and play with dolls. My boys sit still for no more than five minutes at a time! xx

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  2. I love the excuse of staying home in this cooler weather too, cooking comfort food and pottering around the house :)

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  3. I do, absolutely! Simple days as you describe are my absolute favourites and my body is definitely telling me to slow down during the winter months....Mel x

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  4. OH BOY YEAH! We hibernate through Winter and if I don't have to go out the front door, I don't!
    In fact, it's got to a point where I have to force myself to head out for a coffee with a girlfriend on Saturday afternoon...otherwise I wouldn't see a living soul except MONT and the dogs all week long.

    xx

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  5. I'm always a little a little calmer after visiting your beautiful space x

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  6. I am enjoying doing much less in winter, savouring moments of relaxation by the heater, sometimes making plans, sometimes not ... With bursts of energy doing jobs now and then (to keep warm!). I am loving visiting your blog again, with your lovely photos and words. We are about 12 years ahead of you, my two girls are 16 & 14 now, and reading what you and they are up to brings back so many memories, it goes so fast. Hope you are having a good weekend.

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  7. I agree, definitely! Cold Winter days are great for reading, snuggled up by the fire. Even better if its raining. There's just such a decadent feeling about it.

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  8. Oh Amanda...I sooooo needed to read this!
    I usually feel unsettled during the winter months, because it's my nature to get out and about and be 'busy'. But lately...and as I get older {and hopefully more wiser}, I'm realising that it's ok, and it's needed, to stay in and recover and relax and reserve.
    I need to teach this ebb and flow to my kids too. So they appreciate the reasons of the seasons too.
    C xx
    P.S. Sophie looks so grown up sitting up there on the stool!!!

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