Embracing Winter’s Hush

Agreeing to another weeknight activity means spending 15% of our weeknights on it. And if you agree to enough of these, you end up without enough time and space to breathe, think and rejuvenate.

Photo by Shawn Dearn on Unsplash

As I write these words, the window in my bedroom is frozen shut, and a thick layer of ice on the inside makes sure I won’t be opening it again any time soon (yes, I crack it open in the winter). Temps are expected to be in the negative twenties over the next week. And the fourteen inches of snow we have on the ground is being blown about by thirty-five mile per hour winds, making it difficult for the snowplows to keep the roads clear.

Schools end up going to remote learning, many businesses close – including restaurants and even the gym where I’m a member shutdown early one day. And I’m okay with all that. Not that I want businesses to lose money or workers to miss shifts, but my soul craves stillness, so I love it whenever everything grinds to a halt. 

I look forward to this time of year. I miss being able to meet friends at a moment’s notice, but I crave hibernation. 

Britannica says this about hibernation: “The true hibernator spends most of the winter in a state close to death; in fact, the animal may appear to be dead. The body temperature is close to 0° C (32° F); the respiration is only a few breaths per minute; and the heartbeat is so slow and gradual as to be barely perceptible.”

When I sleep, it’s not uncommon for my heart rate to drop to the high fifties. My resting heart rate when I’m awake is in the mid-sixties. And as I go about my day, including taking a walk, it’ll go up as high as 135. These are my natural rhythms. A spiked heart rate during exercise is a good thing but I don’t want to live in that range. I need the downtime when it’s closer to sixty-five, just like I need free weeknights. 

I saw a quote recently and I can’t find it, nor can I remember it exactly, but it goes something like this: “I want to reduce my activities so far that I mourn the good ones I’ve stepped away from.” I butchered it, but you get the idea. I feel this so deeply. 

Like many of you who want to slow down and live deeper, I am in a constant battle to do so. It’s one of the reasons I’m reluctant to agree to any weekly activity. I’m currently on a bowling league that spans from August to April. That’s a lot of Mondays. I have activities on other nights as well. And these are all good things, but … they take a lot out of me.

Agreeing to another weeknight activity means spending essentially 15 percent of our weeknights on it. And if you agree to enough of these, you end up without enough time and space to breathe, think and rejuvenate. At least, that’s how this introvert feels.

I’m sure you’re wondering, Why not just say no to weekly commitments more often? 

You’re right. I should. And I’m getting better about it. In fact, when I do so now, I often don’t offer a reason. As the saying goes, no is an answer. But I’m still a work in progress, so sometimes, a winter snowstorm is exactly what I need.