Wintering ❄️
Cold days, slow rhythms, and staying close to the heat when creativity feels heavy.
Hello, hello, and welcome to The Pause!
It feels like it’s cold everywhere right now: winter storm warnings stretching from the US to Catalonia, snow in places that are usually sunny year-round, and outdoor plants wrapped and protected in gardens everywhere.
I am metereopathic, as the Italians say, and I’ve been wintering hard these past weeks: staying indoors, wearing wool socks and cozy sweaters, and reading as much as I can by my fake-ass fireplace while I pet my cat.
I’ve also been working on my new novel and some other writing that I’m not quite ready to share yet. Even though I’ve been fairly consistent in showing up on the page (in part thanks to the experiment of 21 Creative), I find myself unsure about the direction my projects are taking. At times, even about the direction of my creative life more broadly.
I feel a little lost some days. I wonder if I’m making the right choices, if I’m placing my energy and attention on the right stories.
I do have a rhythm. I’ve been sticking to my bare minimum just fine. And still, I don’t quite feel in the flow. I’m not having a ton of fun.
I make myself a hot chocolate with oat milk and lavender (my latest cozy drink discovery). I light the jasmine saffron candle a friend gifted me recently. I sit down and set my timer. And yet, writing and creating feel heavy.
I’m beginning to suspect this isn’t something to solve.
Perhaps Winter doesn’t always ask us to access our rhythm in the same way. Sometimes the practice isn’t momentum or clarity, but staying close to the heat. Letting myself (and my work) move more slowly, accepting that some seasons are quieter, denser, less generous with certainty.
The rhythm can still be there, even when it doesn’t feel fluid. Even when the words don’t come easily. Even when the joy is a bit dimmer.
So I’m offering this to you and to myself: if creativity feels far this week, maybe that isn’t a failure. Maybe it’s just winter.
Permission, then, to winter in whatever way you need. To sit with a hot drink by the fire, to read, and to rest without guilt.
If it feels supportive, I host Cozy Focus sprints here on Wednesdays at 12 pm EST (18h CET). You’re welcome to join.
Until we meet again, pause often, breathe deeply, and be kind, especially to yourself.
Much love,
Laia. 💛