Surfing can be so much easier when the water is frozen

As the Christmas season has come to close and the finish line of 2013 has come and gone it is time to embark on a New Year.

If you were to ask me how my Christmas was, I would truthfully reply that it was very nice. I had some great times with family and friends and got to do some really fun stuff (yup, curled for the first time and sat in a circle of six with three jaw dropping amazing musicians!) On the surface it was all in all a great Christmas vacation but more was going on that just that. Below, were currents of worry, discontent and feeling overwhelmed with their ever tell tale signs of fatigue and sleepless nights. Yes this could be due to some diet deviations that I allowed myself but when the body can’t handle a little indulgence you know something more is at stake.

 I am very blessed to be living a very fulfilling life with great family and friends and no major crisis to deal with at this time. I have just the usual and commonly shared worries: finances, family and friends who are struggling with the BIG things, finding enough time to do everything I think I have to do and think I want to do, caring for my own health, getting the dishes done and of course all this topped off with this wild and woolly winter.

I woke up Sunday morning with my bigger than life to do list but was feeling beyond tired, uninspired and frankly unbalanced. So instead of going back to bed or plugging joyless through my list, I took a time out. A time to reassess what is important. A time to drink in nature’s boundless life force.

I got outside and went to a place that makes my heart sing – the sea. I realized on my way that this is the longest I had stayed away from the beach in a long time. And I was feeling unbalanced...? I wonder why! As soon as my feet touched the frozen sand, my mind, body and spirit all remembered its balance. I remembered that the list doesn't really change but as soon as you take a new perspective it doesn't have to feel the same. I still have a tonne of things to get done at home and at work but know it can’t get done all at once. Thoughtful decisions must be made. A reassessment of what things need to get done. I must take the time to keep my balance.

Winter is a time for all of us to rest, reflect and reassess. The storms of late have literally forced us to take on this winter frame of mind. It is not about stopping or hibernating, it is about moving slowly and more mindfully though your day, just as the sun is slowly making its presence longer as each day passes. When you move with the rhythms of the seasons you will experience much less resistance. The water may be frozen over but you can still feel all its potential in the stillness.

So what is your body telling you? Are you in balance? Are you living winters’ example? 

It all starts with a quiet choice.

Time to climb on board and surf the waves of winter.

Welcome to 2014!