In Defense of Dormancy
...to tell you the truth, should is a four letter word.
It’s strange to look at trees in winter, barren and empty, and not call time of death. There is no proof of life,
yet we know they are still living,
just under the surface.
Ecosystems flash, brimming with life, long and tangled roots swirling and signaling deep in rich black soil. Highways of language we have long forgotten. We do not take a blade to their trunk, wouldn't dare disturb their subterranean sleep. They are not dying, only resting. Creativity ebbs in this way, too. We step back and fill up, and later make manifest from the overflow. The dormancy of creativity isn’t lazy, the work has just changed forms.
We extend such magnanimous grace to the trees and then hold our own feet to the fire, demanding more,
and more,
and more.
Trees offer us a secret, which is this: going inward is not withholding. Some things are not for everyone. Some things must be swallowed whole by us alone. Trees know that entitlement is a colonizer's curse broken only by making peace with our stillness.
I am learning to love stick season, as my friend Adam calls it. Learning to accept the sharp veiny shadows cast along icy walkways and to look for the nests they betray long after glossy leaves have fallen. In between the work I must do, I pour hot tea and let my days run slow. I stop myself from justifying my lack of productivity. In direct opposition to the hustle, I am learning the practice of rest. I know the buds will return, so soon will green and yellow dot the sky as the tops of my shoulders burn red under summer's heat. The proof of life will show up as balance, as peace, as layers of paint on canvas, like work written with care and intention.
Winter is not waiting for life to start. It's not hiding from what scares us. It is its own beautiful and necessary stanza of poetry in the song of our lives. Slowness, quietness, wanting less and not more, purging and waiting and taking ourselves inward, deep, all of it is work. All of it informs and supplies life to our very souls. Or, these are the things I am learning to whisper back against the voice in my head telling me I should be doing more,
more,
more.
I tell that harsh and wanting voice that should is a liar.
FIVE FAVES
what I’m loving right now:
this shampoo bar | I’m a hippie at heart, a girl who started donating her allowance to Greenpeace when she was five years old and marched around her neighborhood with a handmade sign that read “Save the Whales” at age nine. These days, I’m doing my best to reduce my carbon footprint. Cutting down on single-use plastics is one way I aim for this goal. Enter Ethique shampoo & conditioner bars. Why did I wait so long to try them? Why did I think it would be weird? It’s not weird, and they work great. Highly recommend Pinkalicious!
this song by my friend Joy | Joy has a voice that makes me believe the world is still beautiful. She sings like melted honey, melodies soft like velvet, lyrics like sunshine on hot summer skin. Joy’s depth and creativity are one of a kind, and watching the world fall in love with her magic is such a thrill.
this tea | my sister turned me onto this ginger turmeric goodness, and it’s become a winter evening staple as I’ve given up wine during the week.
gua sha | incorporating gua sha into my daily self-care routine has been a game changer. I use rosehip oil on my face and follow with simple, gentle movements using the tool I linked. I swear it reduces puffiness and relaxes my facial muscles instantly. I also love the benefits gua sha provides for lymph nodes.
sundays are for heretics & healers | in our last post, we shared our dear friend Steph with you, and on Sundays, her Instagram account posts have become one of my favorite things on the internet. Equal parts sweet and salty, the quotes and wisdom she shares always inspire.