Another year closer to the grave
A Winter Solstice contemplation on the year that's passed.
There’s a distinct kind of dissonance that I often feel during the month of December.
My body craves rest and stillness; time to reflect on and integrate the year that’s ending. Mentally, I’m ready to disengage from work and endless life admin tasks, and I crave creative space and time for contemplation before diving into new projects in January. But it’s also the busiest (and least spacious) time of year, filled with final client deadlines, year-end organizational and administrative tasks, holiday travel logistics and social commitments.
I know I’m not the only one who tends to feel “off” at this time of year.
In nature, it’s the Winter Solstice—the darkest day of the year, and traditionally, a time for going inward, for rest and reflection. In the absence of light and warmth, we embrace silence and stillness. Bears are hibernating. Trees are bare. It’s the dormant time of nature’s growth cycle.
But in the modern world, it’s the holiday frenzy and the …