Resolutions have never seized my imagination but I’ve always felt pressure to make the coming New Year “the one” where things finally come together. This is a sure path to disappointment. I’m old enough now, been through so many winters of hope followed by the disappointments of spring, that I feel better about resting during this time. Winter as a time to slow down. Seeing the time between the winter solstice and my birthday in January as a time to rest, reflect, feast, and take it easy. There’s time to start something new, but not in a flurry of overambition and shaky promises to self. There’s time time enough to move gradually towards what I want to come in the year ahead.
That being said, I’m doing a run streak again. Running every day, at least a mile but not much farther than that for now and certainly not too fast. I’m taking walk breaks and ample time to look around and enjoy being outside for outside’s sake. I need it for my physical health, mostly, but what being outside and getting my heart pumping does for my mind can’t be overestimated.
— a forest 