Note from Louisa

If you’ve lived nearly anywhere in the United States the last few weeks, you may have been reevaluating your relationship with winter. The entire country has been plunged into below average temperatures due to shifting weather patterns. I just recently flew out of the Nashville airport in unusual blizzard conditions. That’s right, Nashville, Tennessee was getting a crash course in de-icing a plane. (groan, if you must)
 
In some ways, extreme weather seems further evidence of our desired dominion over nature. We insist on remaining undeterred in our plans for travel, business, or normal activity, whatever the weather brings. Aided by technology, we see that even the childhood magic of the snow day is under threat, moving us toward continued productivity without respite.
 
This is a very modern and capitalistic way of thinking. We feel we must keep the economic wheel turning with as few disruptions as possible.
 
But perhaps we’re missing the point. The gift of winter historically has been an invitation to slow down, to turn inward and use the fallow time to prepare for the hard work ahead in the coming spring. Now, with the advent of electricity and HVAC systems, we can be productive 365 days a year. Never mind rising and retiring with the sun. Not to worry if the wind chill is -35 degrees or the heat index reaches 110. Press on.
 
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
 
Yes, productivity is important. But so is rest. So is unstructured time and the occasional disruption to regularly scheduled activity. We need the quiet, the dark, the seemingly non-generative time to be efficient when the time for hard work returns.
 
Perhaps the next bitterly cold day might serve as reminder of our more animal nature, perhaps we will hibernate, or build pillow forts with the kids, rather than give into our mechanistic, consumer leanings.

Blessings on your journey,
Louisa