It´s Not Just the Hot Chocolate

By Didi Arias

Winter, possibly more than any other season in the Northern hemisphere, has the tendency to evoke strong feelings in folk: either they love it or they hate it. For the haters, I get it. Winter can punch out a ton of aggro and no amount of holly jolly thoughts will ease the dangerous driving conditions, fierce storms and the daily tasks that just got harder.

“Hmmm, yes, it´s all a bit of a chore” my British instructor friends say. Yes, just a bit.

Though the surrounding landscape can become a Christmas card-like wonderland, for many, the lack of sunshine and warmth isn´t fun or nice. I say this as the sole survivor of a household of people who suffered from the “winter blues”, a recognized disorder that I do not belittle at all - I am just grateful I don´t suffer from it. So I learned to hold back my glee at the first feel of winter´s approach. Nobody appreciated when I would rush in, rednosed and bright-eyed, to announce that I just saw the first snowflake.

“Thanks for the weather report, Miss Pumpkin Spice. If you say another word meteorologically until spring I´ll pumpkin spice you!”

So I would just tread lightly for the duration, all the while pondering why winter-hating persons would move to Minnesota.

So yes, I´ve always been one of the winter lovers, not just for the holidays, snow sports and the après everything cosies and tipples. I mostly love it for its quiet, the longer nights and its deep call to hunker down and go within. I don´t just love winter, I need winter. Nature, in her wisdom, planned her seasons with reason and expects us to take heed. Henry David Thoreau wrote in his August 23, 1853 journal entry: “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each”. Mr. Thoreau so understood it, having spent over a year in a tiny cabin in the woods in Massachusetts (and winter surely was no easy task as I´ve been to the site of where that cabin stood in the woods, in a snowstorm). There is a certain appeal to opt for the holiday film version of winter, hibernating for months by the fireplace in reindeer stockinged feet, hot cocoa in one hand, faithful hound snoozing under the other. But the reality of “I´m hungry” stall door banging, hay nets to fill, iced buckets to thaw, etcetera, etcetera

quickly pops that blissful scene´s bubble. We don´t need to actually go to ground, but I do know that Nature is suggesting we notch it down a bit, go a bit slower and take a rest. You don´t have to like winter, but fighting it gets you nowhere (unless you move south), so perhaps “resign yourself” to its influences and appreciate it for what it is and forget about what it isn´t.

Those here who deal with winter weather conditions have devised their own ways of managing their work, and that usually requires some side-shifting to allow to “keep the shop up and running”. That side shifting may involve reorganization from how the horses are worked, to what services are being offered. Lessons may be cut back or even postponed altogether, as in the case of a friend of mine who gets snowed-in for several weeks each winter. Then of course you may be able to take advantage of the perks the season brings you, such as sleigh rides and holiday festivals (yes, I watch a lot of those holiday films!).

My personal side shift is that I make it my mission to allow myself some Me Time during the winter season, which is kind of how Nature intended it. I have learned that time allotted to myself is time that gives back twofold and then some. I have spent years perfecting this Wintering time in to an art form and look at it as my annual vacation. Some folks go to Disneyland, others take a cruise or enjoy a change of scenery by a lake somewhere, but I winter, and I do it at home. Just as one would plan their time away, I pre-plan my Wintering in my yearly schedule, working my teaching and art commissions around it. Thus, I have no business losses, there are no costs, but there is a massive gain: I recharge and get my super powers back.

So what do I actually do during my Wintering?

Firstly, my schedule becomes my own, which means, I might not even have one (other than the have-to chores). That in itself is very liberating as the pressure is off.

It’s a time to do things I really want to do, like crafting, take some online courses, or catch up on my reading.

Winter is a meditative time and I spend time alone outdoors in Nature, just to enjoy the beauty and quiet, taking loads of photos to enjoy and share later. It a time to practice stillness, looking inwards to reflect and ponder, to have a dialogue with yourself.

As the relaxation effects start to kick in, my creative juices flow. Goals get reassessed and plans for the coming year are made, though I avoid New Year´s resolutions as I can´t keep them.

Shorter days means bed beckons earlier, so I take advantage of that. The science seems to be spot on that we sleep more in the winter. I am yawning as I write.

Time with the horses gets a different quality: instead of it often being “I have to” time, it becomes hangout, “wanting to” time.

Though it may sound anti-social, I get to choose who I have around me and when, spending this time of year more with friends, cooking nice meals and decorating my home surroundings.

Because I go at nobody´s pace but my own, I find my energy levels pick up (without caffeine!).

I get asked “Don´t you get bored?”, and my honest answer is “Never!”. I liken myself to my newest puppy in that we´re both very self-entertaining.

When ready to leave my wintering, I am like an animal coming out of hibernation (except that I consumed more carbs than I burned), re-emerging rested, fulfilled and renewed. I feel like there is more of me to spread around, able to give everyone and everything my best again. My husband can attest to the fact that once I´ve had my winter spicing, been well mulled and my toes toasted, I am a more mellow version of me.

Clement Clark Moore knew about the benefits of winter when he penned his line “had just settled our brains for a long winter´s nap” in his “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. Brain settling…he so got that right. And for those yearning for longer, balmier days, remember winter isn´t for ever and spring is right around the corner.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Didi Arias is a Level 3 ARIA Certified Instructor and national dressage judge and teacher, who resides in Almeria, Spain.