A Shift in the Seasons
The holidays sure can make you feel ALL sorts of ways
Hi beautiful friends,
Happy holidays! I am sending you so much love. I know this time of year can be so sweet and happy for many, while deeply painful, lonely and isolating for others. It can often be a mix of both too.
There have been times when I absolutely loathed the holidays, like after my dad passed away or when I was going through my divorce. In times like these, I felt so alone, and the idea of celebrating felt awful. That was the last thing I wanted to do.
The holidays were often hard for me because I am also very different from my family. We think differently, live very differently, and have very different belief systems. I also don't love sports and hardly go to the movies, which are the main pastimes of my family, so I felt I didn't fit in that way either. I held onto a number of stories in my head about these differences for a long time. These stories caused lots of internal pain. I didn't feel understood. I didn't feel seen. At least that was the story I would tell myself.
In the last few years though, something has shifted for me. I decided to begin heading into the holidays with the mindset, What if nothing is wrong, and nothing needs to change? Now this doesn't mean I don't still have very strong boundaries in order to take care of myself, but it does mean that I try to show up to these scenarios as love. Do I always do that? NOPE! But it’s a invitation to celebrate the differences between my family and me.
What if everyone gets to be on their own journey and I get to love them exactly where they are?
We get to think differently, live differently and have different beliefs. One doesn’t have to be considered “right” or “wrong,” “good” or “bad.” They just are. No one sees the world as it is, we see it as we are. With this shift, I am choosing the intention to see it through the lens of love. I do this by noticing when my judgments arise. I have to acknowledge that they usually have EVERYTHING to do with me and no one else, and then I can bring love to my parts that think I know what's best about how someone else should live. HA! My sweet little mind loves thinking I know what's best for others! With this intention I get to see that my family is so precious, made up of all these differences. We are human and flawed and everything in between, and we love the shit out of each other.
I’ve also noticed how I’ve shifted my thoughts around the winter season in general. I used to say I hated winter, but now I really try to work with the seasons and love celebrating the Winter Solstice. I’ve found that winter is a time to go in, to shed, to do shadow work through introspection, to sleep more and to rest. I love that this shortest day of the year, which has been marked with festivals and rituals since prehistory, is symbolic of the death and rebirth of the sun.
Now our daylight hours begin to grow until it culminates in the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and the cycle continues all over again. Is there a way you like to mark this day and honor it? I plan to do a tea ceremony, pull cards and honor the darkness. I would love to hear what your practice may look like!
Maybe you’ve noticed your own shifts around this time of year, but however you are feeling this holiday season, this solstice, it gets to be here. Can you think of someone who may need some extra love or a home to eat in on Christmas? Or if you’re that lonely person that needs somewhere to go this year, sometimes the bravest thing in the world is to reach out to a friend and say so. If that is you, you precious human, I am so deeply sorry and heart broken that you are feeling this way. Please reach out. You belong. You deserve to be seen, to be cared for, to be fed and loved on. I am sending you all of my love.
Happy Winter Solstice and Merry Christmas beautiful humans. I have some exciting things to share with you in the new year. I love every opportunity I get to be with you and there are lots more in store!
Just a few things help you lean or ease into this season…
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
Prepping for the Holiday Season - How to talk about TMS, MindBody medicine, and chronic pain, on the podcast The Cure For Chronic Pain with Nicole Sachs, LCSW
And this song on repeat: Christmas Is Here by Gungor
More one-on-one sessions are available in January!
I’ve loved the opportunity to spend precious time with the precious souls that have joined me in a Love Reflection Session so far. I am going to continue these through January! If you are eager for a safe space to be seen, are seeking guidance for loving yourself, and desire a shift in your healing journey, then this session may be for you.
In our session together, we will do practices to get back into our bodies, allow all of ourselves to be here, and help shift your mindset around tough emotions and hard experiences.
My calendar is open for January, so you can book today! Learn more on my website here.
These are also available to give as a gift to someone special in your life!
In-person Tea Ceremonies at my home in Nashville
These beautiful tea ceremonies will still be available through January as well! A tea ceremony is a beautiful embodied opportunity to connect with yourself, the elements and the divine through ceremonial grade tea and Oracle cards that I’ll pull for you. I also always make sure to leave time for integration with me after tea and cards. These are one-on-one sessions and each ceremony session lasts 1.5 hours. Learn more and inquire to book your tea ceremony.
