It is swan season in the Skagit Valley where I live. Trumpeter swans arrive in late October from their nesting grounds in Alaska and Canada and overwinter in the Pacific Northwest until the early spring, leaving usually around March 1st. This year they have been spotted around Seattle and in the Sammamish Valley which more south than they normally go which is interesting/concerning.
Their arrival signals winter to me. A slowing down time. A call for rest. I have less to do outside and can focus more on inside. This fall I have been promoting my memoir, coaching, and offering a restorative yoga class at a new studio by our farm. This is what I consider inside work—writing, thinking, listening, stretching. I am finally at an age where slowing down and sometimes doing what is easy feels like the best thing for my body and my soul.
I am learning the importance of seasonality from the creatures around me. The sheep are pregnant and taking it easy around the barn for the winter. The swans are flocking together, feeding, moving back and forth between the foothills and the fields every day following ecological cues, like light and temperature.
Every decision seems intentional.
Watching California flood and remembering our hot, dry October, I feel like I am in a state of anxious anticipation. What will this winter bring? Will we flood again? Will this summer reach record temperatures? It is hard to know and my response to this anxiety is to hold on tight to my seasonal routines. Dig into the calm and chill of winter, eventually emerge with more energy and action in the spring.
How do I consume and do less, but get more out of my days?
I have two more interviews for the podcast (more inside work!), then editing, and I plan to get it out into the world by March.
I am so excited to share this podcast with you in this space. Starting in March, I will return to regular posts here as well that will include extra info on my podcast guests, writing prompts, and seasonal reflections.
If you are in Bellingham area I will be offering a free writing group as well at Village Books in Fairhaven. If this is something that people would appreciate online as well, I might consider offering that too. Reach out and let me know.
Until then, enjoy these winter days….