There is something undeniably renewing about the first signs of Spring. The daffodils in my garden, the sun on my face, a dog walk without a massive coat and wellies! It is the small signs of reawakening, the changing rhymes and cycles, reminding us that winter is not forever, nothing is forever.
For me winter is always a challenging time. Each year I seem to struggle more with the dark and the cold. Increasingly I manage by taking myself to sunnier shores as much as I am able over the darker months. This winter I went to Spain, Tenerife, Dubai and Morocco, it certainly helped but every time my plane landed back in Manchester I felt a sadness.
I read alot that winter is a time for rest, a fallow season to recharge and plan for the growing seasons. Although I understand this philosophy it has never really worked for me. I have tried log fires and warm baths, hot chocolate and cosy blankets. The simple truth is, I prefer the sun. This year I finally decided to stop beating myself up because I couldn't grasp Hygge and instead accept that my truth is I need longer days and the warm sun on my skin.
Maybe that is the gift this winter has given me, to come to know and accept my truth.
