Today I took comfort in Ecclesiastes 3:1: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. In January in Pennsylvania, my friend and I talk about living like hibernating bears. She tells me to “take my cues from nature” and do what the bears do.
Everything slows down. We burrow into blankets and settle in like bears. We aren’t inventive or inspired. We are slow and cozy.
As someone who loves my next project, I’m always caught off guard by hibernating me. As January begins to come to a close, I start to stir. Shouldn’t I be writing another book? Shouldn’t I be planning something? Shouldn’t I be out more? More social? More lively? Maybe you feel this way and wonder why you’re just lounging about in January. It’s because you’ve been living a great life like a bear in January.
Yesterday I walked in the snowfall, lumbering like a bear. That was the work of the day in my opinion.
As the afternoon gently rolled on, I remembered Ecclesiastes. There’s a time for big activity and fast-paced living. There’s a time for innovation and lots of gatherings. Normally, that’s May or October for me. But January? I’m warming my body and living like a bear. I’m stirring a bit in anticipation of February’s work, but mostly, I’m living like a bear.