Tuesday, December 4

need to retreat


I am feeling the need for some softness and quiet today. So this is where you can find me: tucked away in my celery green chair in my corner of the bedroom, with a cooling cup of earl green tea by my side. It's gray and slightly blustery, and out of the corner of my eye I can see yellow leaves flowing off the hackberry and chinaberry trees in the backyard. It's even been raining a little, off and on. Perfect retreating weather.

I have been spending a lot of time in the bedroom lately. Though I have a fully dedicated and lovely studio space for writing and yoga, those activities have been migrating to our bedroom instead. In one corner, I have a permanent set-up for reclined cobbler's pose, which is a wonderfully nourishing pose for pregnancy, and which I like to do for about 10 minutes almost every night. I have my reading and writing chair, a beloved Goodwill find that is starting to fall apart, but which I love deeply because I nursed my son in it for countless hours, and it's the perfect size and shape for me to retreat into. And I recently set up a little altar of sorts, with my Buddha from Target and candles and books by my favorite teachers


It's the first quiet day I've had to myself in a long, long while. Silas' daycare days, twice a week, have been filled with a flurry of activity of late. In the last few days I have felt my sensitivity/overwhelm/anger issues rise up, a clear sign I need some time and space to quiet down. I hope today will be some of that. More tea, maybe a nap, digging into some of the great books I've been reading. Doing housework slowly, only of it's going to make me happier and calmer to have done it. Some slow and steady yoga for sure.

It's always struck me as weird that as we near the winter solstice, and all of nature quiets down and prepares to fold into itself for the rest and renewal that is the winter season, we enter our busiest, brightest, loudest social season of the year. We keep things very, very low-key here on the Christmas front, with minimal fuss and decorations, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and breakfast tacos on Christmas morning. But I still feel the need for more slowing down, more curling up, more breathing deep. Do you?

Fellow blogger, HSP and soul sister Erin Goodman posted about this very topic today on her blog, which I am deeply grateful for. It is such a relief to me each time I read the words of women who are also dealing with these sensitivity issues. I am not alone! I am not crazy! And neither are you. 

And now over to you: I would love to hear about where you are retreating to these days. Is the hustle and bustle of the holidays getting to you yet? Are you making a plan to slow things down a bit? Do share in the comments, or, along with Erin, let's share the ways we are retreating over on Instagram with the hashtag #slowholidays. Now let's all go make ourselves another cup of tea.

3 comments:

  1. Quelle chance nous avons d'avoir ce petit coin juste à nous, où nous pouvons nous réfugier à l'abri du tourbillon de la vie!
    How much fortunate we are to have this just small place to us, where we can take refuge shielded from the hurly-burly of life!

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  2. i don't celebrate xmas but do honour the solstice.

    "It's always struck me as weird that as we near the winter solstice, and all of nature quiets down and prepares to fold into itself for the rest and renewal that is the winter season, we enter our busiest, brightest, loudest social season of the year."

    Perfectly said, my sentiments exactly. Al though i have done the whirlwind of xmas due to work 'dos', and enjoyed them for what they were. i always felt vulnerable, like an animal out of a cage and amongst hunters. lol or something.

    my ears have clogged up and so my body chose to shut things out for me.

    i hope deep silence and rest for you.

    p.s, i adore your chair and wish i had a similar comforty thing.

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    Replies
    1. I wish for you a trusty comfy chair to sink into.

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