'Tis the season
This can be a gloomy time in the UK. It doesn't get properly light until after 8am and it's dark again by 4pm. If we're lucky, we get a day that's bright and clear and freezing cold, but more often the skies are grey and it's windy or wet (or both).
Lots of people find solace in Christmas decorations EVEN THOUGH IT'S ONLY NOVEMBER STILL!!! (Can you sense how I feel about this? lol) But I find Christmas a slog if I'm honest. I'm in charge of it for my family, which means it's a lot of work. It's something to get done rather than something that brings joy to the month.
And I actually don't need solace. I like this time of year. I like boots and sweaters and big coats and log fires. And I especially like the feeling of slowing down as the year comes to an end. This is not something I do intentionally, Rather it seems to happen naturally as we get less light. I sleep more. I work less. I don't push as much.
And this slowing down leaves more room for reflection. What has the year brought? What would I like for next year? I think about this in 3 ways.
what would Iike for my art?
what would I like for my business?
what would I like for my life?
I've been mulling this on walks over the last few days without an answer, but as I wrote those questions, one word popped into my head.... 'space.' I would like space.
I'm not sure yet what that means. Does it mean more space to make my art or more space in my art (or both?) And what about in my business ... more space for what?
Now the answer comes ... more space to be spontaneous and less regimented.
And in life... what is meant by space? I am already surrounded by space as I live rurally. But I am always so busy that I could rarely describe my life as spacious.
Full, yes. Busy, yes. Rewarding... yes. But not spacious.
I am not settling yet on this word, but I do like to have a word for the upcoming year. It's a way to ground myself and keep from being blown away by whatever life brings. It's also a way to judge my own ideas. I get new ideas all the time but I can ask myself ... does this idea fit my word for the year or does it take me further away?
We've had some beautiful sunsets this week and I've taken to walking Riley across some fields near my house where I can get the best views. That's a little piece of the space I'm making in my days.
Today when we go out, I'll contemplate this word 'space.' I'll think about what it might mean for 2025 and whether I should adopt it as my word for the year.
If you try this for yourself, remember that you have to let the word come to you - you can't force it. And you must stop yourself from finding reasons and strategies at the beginning. Don't dismiss your word because it doesn't seem possible, for example. Your brain loves to prevent you from stretching yourself. Allow it in, let it percolate, and then assess HOW not IF you can make it real.