Burned out. Fatigued. Angry. Uninspired.
We work so hard every day and what do we have to show for it- not enough of a lot and a lot of we've had enough.
What if we tried as hard to live within our natural cycles and rhythms as we do fight against them? What if we prioritized being humans over being machines?
We have done to our bodies as we have done to our lands- stripped, abused, neglected, extracted, depleted.
What if we treated ourselves as we treated our cherished gardens? What if we are one in the same? What if their cycles are our cycles?
Our bodies, our gardens.
We feed nutrients, we build healthy foundations, we reinforce, we tend, we interact, we grow, we observe, and then we lay fallow and rest.
What if we worked as hard every single day to be well and balanced and natural as we do being productive, profitable, and valuable?
If we valued sleep over scrolling, if we prioritized cooking over screens, if we cultivated community over customers?
What if we viewed the dark winter as a gift of rest instead of burden of fatigue? What if we viewed the bright summer as an opportunity for growth instead of a desperate cry for fun and relaxation and substance abuse?
What if we viewed every year as a circle instead of an unreachable line to the finish? And once you reach the place you began, you reflect. Just like in the garden.
How did I grow? Did I flourish? Did I struggle? Was I abundant and nourishing?
I relish in the circular nature of the year. A winter full of sleep and nurturing fats and gentle work. A summer of energy and light carbs and hard work. In dark times my mind rules, in light times my body. My brutal self dreams and my estival self executes.