Why it’s time to ditch your busy-ness!

It’s my birthday month and this time I am committed to slowing down and enjoying more fireside time.

The Christmas music has been infiltrating our ears since October. There’s been talk of a shortage of everything from turkeys to fuel (surprised common sense wasn’t on that list) and yet I’m still sensing an urgency in people to move at a frenetic speed.

If we live a bit more in tune with the seasons, we remember that autumn is a time to release and let go, and that the winter months are a time to nurture, hibernate and reflect. There’s a purity that comes with a fresh snowfall as though all the mistakes of yesterday are forgotten, a fresh perspective.

When we slow down (and snow forces us to do that whether we’re driving or walking) we notice more. We notice our breathing, whether it’s short and shallow and high up in our chest (no thanks) or so deep into our belly that it rises and falls like the ocean waves (yes please).

Less daylight often drives us inward to the warmth of our fireside, and likewise it’s wise to trade our outward reflection for some introspection. Often we resist this because it can feel a bit uncomfortable to be honest with the parts of our lives that we aren’t so happy with. However, it’s a bit like ripping off a plaster; the first second or so stings, but then beyond that it gets better.

We can only work with what’s in our awareness (or unwittingly repeat the old patterns of behaviour).

We had friends to visit a few weeks ago. They asked me what I’d learnt about our garden over the last year (we moved house). We chatted about the apples and pears on the fruit trees (and how an unnoticed plum tree produced fruit in September), about how the ivy that had run amok had killed a tree and all of next door’s trees.

We shared thoughts about the patches of grass that are growing thick and fast and the yellowed areas in need of TLC. We joked about the spider’s webs and how they are always spun in the same places across the box hedge (but it’s unlikely it’s the same spider), and we talked about our incessant raking of the Maple leaves last year and how this year we’ve enjoyed watching them fall (and rest on the ground).

All of this reminded me of how much we were rooting for organisation through the Covid-19 chaos of last year, and yet this year we’re embracing what is without trying to change it all, and just like our surprise plum tree sometimes we receive gifts or benefits that we hadn’t even considered possible before.

What are you learning from nature? It’s December, so chances are you’ll experience some rain or snow in the next couple of days. When you do take the time to watch the raindrops run down the window or splash into a puddle, watch the snowflakes gently float to the earth and realise that you too can move through life with a gentle presence and make big impact (especially at Drumochter!!).

Let’s ditch the busy-ness and make time to be! I’d love to hear your thoughts on what nature means to you. Drop me a line sophia@sophiahanson.com

As featured in Executive Magazine, December 2021.