Wow, is this blog post being shared on time?
This winter I made a personal goal for myself to enjoy the season. For as long as I can remember I loved winter up until January 1st. Then, the magic of the holiday season wore off and I was left feeling the winter blues.
These past three years have been weird and hard. Todd and I moved to Oregon for law school in the summer of 2019. We were excited to start a new life in a new state, in a new city. Unfortunately, we only lived there for 6 months before the world shut down in March of 2020. From what you can gather from the news Oregon was a really difficult place to be. Especially during the winter. The rainy season began in late October and went until June.
We quite literally never made a single meaningful relationship in our three years of living in Oregon. It was difficult to meet up with anyone when there was so much fear looming overhead. We often visited our families in Utah and Arizona and it was the only time we felt relief. Literally. There was actual sunshine, the energy felt lighter.
This was really hard for us because we planned on making Oregon our forever home. There were so many things about it that we initially loved. The ocean, mountains, parks, cute neighborhoods, u-pick farms galore, cute shops, the list could go on. Todd was even offered his dream job.
We knew we had to turn all of these things down because in the end material things did not matter.
During our final year in Oregon I decided that I had to make our apartment an oasis. It was necessary to my mental wellbeing that I loved spending time at home.
I started thrifting a lot. This gave me something to look forward to. It was like a small challenge to hunt for the perfect mug or vase or picture frame. I could bring this treasure home and decorate our space.
Morning walks became a non-negotiable. I took my camera with me every morning and made a point to look for something new to photograph. I took countless pictures of clouds, trees, flowers, birds, and cute gardens. This forced me to appreciate the present.
In the winter of 2021 there were a number of power outages. Often times we would go 24 hours without electricity. Todd and I took this time to read by candlelight and start a tradition of candle lit dinners. What could be more cozy than that?
Since moving to Wisconsin in June of 2022 I have felt an emotional burden being lifted off of my shoulders. That summer was nothing short of magical. We swam in lakes and rivers. Roasted hotdogs and s'mores over the fire. We helped build and grow a garden that provided us tasty treats and meals into October. We rode bikes at sunset almost every evening. It was easy to forget how difficult the previous years had been.
In the fall we canned vegetables and took scenic walks through the woods. There was so much beauty to be found! Mushrooms, orange and red and yellow leaves, golden sunsets, hot tea on a rainy day. We even took a three week trip to Europe! It finally felt like we were coming out of a dense fog.
Then, the garden was done. The leaves fell. The Christmas tree was taken down. At this point I said "You have lived in darkness for so long, you are going to find the light in every season."
So, I picked up on a quilt project I had started over the summer. I took walks even in the freezing temperatures and the snow. I still go watch the sunset every night even if I can't feel my toes afterwards. Johnna Holmgren said it best "There is going to be snow, either you can love it or hate it. The only difference is your happiness."
Recently I started reading a book that I'm sure everyone has read. The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking. Once he started listing all the things the Danish consider hygge, lit candles in the evening, hot drinks, good food and cake, long talks with friends, I realized I had already been living a hygge life! So even though our time in Oregon was hard it taught me valuable lessons on how to enjoy the darkest seasons for the rest of my life. I always say that I never regret moving to Oregon because we learned so much while living there.
This spring is the beginning of the next chapter in our Wisconsin book. I am going to continue to learn more about hygge and how to celebrate it all year long. I think my soul needs a lot of tender care still and I'm going to lean into that in 2023.
Finishing up on a book project! It is always exciting to send off the final pages to the publisher and see all your work in book form. You can find my newest illustrated title, Always Be Kind, here.
Opening up the windows. There have been random bursts of warm weather and I take every opportunity to air out our bedroom and light a nice smelling candle or turn on the diffuser.
Sharing my photos and videos online. I do this through my second instagram account and TikTok. My first creative passion was photography. I still take pictures and videos for my own enjoyment. I felt sad that they only lived on my camera roll so I started sharing them online!
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