Winter means blankets, hot chocolates and birthdays. Sliding toes into toasty warm sheets, donning hats and coats, slipping on a cosy dressing gown the moment we enter the house.
Social events slow down a little, time for introspection abounds and the idea of curling up on a couch with a book seems perpetually enticing.
It is in the looking back that we understand ourselves, the crafting of our story continues and we truly see how far we have come. Here are some of the lessons – big and small – that have formed part of my winter story.
1. Work can be good for the soul
Five years away from paid work is a very long time (long enough to lead you to question whether you retain any skills anymore). What I didn’t realise until looking back was how this blog has kept me honing the craft of writing for this entire time, so that when a job opportunity to become a ghostwriter popped up, I was able to slot into the role with relative ease. It is only one day a week, but I am thoroughly enjoying the experience of bringing my mind fully to a task and seeing that task through to completion (something that parenting rarely seems to offer, haha!)
2. Milk kefir is powerful stuff
Disclaimer: I am not at all the ‘wellness’ type. My cupboards are filled to the brim with flour, sugar, butter and chocolate – with not a kale leaf or goji berry in sight. I tore through the book ‘The Woman Who Fooled the World: Belle Gibson’s Cancer Con and the Darkness at the Heart of the Wellness Industry‘, and found it to be incredibly on point. However, after my mum gave me a starter of some milk kefir mixture, I have been brewing the yoghurt-like substance all winter. I don’t know if it is pure coincidence or not, but we have had a pretty much cold-free, sickness-free winter. The taste of it is a little odd, so I hide it in smoothies or use it in place of cream in soup, also mixing it into the kids’ vanilla yoghurt each night. Apparently it is a great source of natural probiotics, which you can brew in your kitchen super cheaply.
3. Changing your parenting style can lead to great results
Parenting is so complicated. Dave and I read widely, shared blog posts with each other and tried our best to be the kind of parents who offered unconditional love, but also were firm on consequences when the kids overstepped the boundaries. The only problem was that the kids seemed to be increasingly tuning us out or talking back – leading to both parties feeling more and more frustrated. We stumbled upon the philosophy of Positive Parenting and have been slowly changing our approach ever since. It isn’t perfect and we still fall back into yelling or bossing the kids when we get tired or grumpy, but overall we have been surprised by the effectiveness of the process. We have changed up our routines, introduced ‘contributions’ (chores), started family meetings, we spend one-on-one time with each kid for 10 minutes per day and we *try* to deliver instructions in a calm voice. It has made the experience of parenting much more enjoyable and the kids are behaving a lot better as well. Win-win!
4. A genius use for leftover marinade
Ever struggle to know what to do with that leftover marinade? If you are making a rice accompaniment, just pour it directly into the rice cooker and top up with the necessary amount of water. The rice absorbs the delicious flavour and there is no waste – yay!
5. I’m never going to run out of life lessons
From Enneagram realisations, to learning about what makes me come alive, each season is rich with promptings and material that leads me to new discoveries about the way I work. Sometimes the road is flooded with tears, other times it is laced with laughter, but every single step forward that I take leads me to a place of more freedom… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What did you learn this season? Perhaps it was a strange fact that won’t be forgotten, a tip for the kitchen that has changed your life? I would love to hear about it down below! I’m linking up with Emily Freeman to share What I’ve Learned.
