Honoring Our Rhythms

As We Flow with the Seasons

We really didn’t have much of a winter here in the northwest. If you wanted snow, you had to go to it, for it didn’t come, not where I am anyway. I did miss seeing a winter wonderland out my windows, soaking in the quiet peacefulness, the blueish haze and the deep hibernation that happens.

I did some of that, but it felt different. More like a caterpillar in the chrysalis — the gooey liminal space in between expressions of who you were and who you are becoming. The old is fading but the new hasn’t yet arrived. Yes, some dreaming happened, but it was hazier than usual.

And now I’m noticing the spur of springtime energy urging me into motion. It may have also been prompted by the sunshine this week and the return of the robins. And the daffodils not too far from blooming. Yikes!

Nature is in motion. I’m responding. But am I ready?

That question has been sitting with me. Because what I’m realizing is that in these times of constant over stimulation, I need more downtime built into my life — not just seasonally, but daily. I need to honor the natural cycles, not just push through them.

We are part of nature, yet there’s so much resistance to natural rhythms in our culture. Productivity. Consumption. The expectation that we should be “on” all the time. But that’s not how anything in nature actually works.

Everything has seasons. Winter’s stillness and dreaming. Spring’s planning and emergence. Summer’s full bloom and active creation. Autumn’s harvest and letting go. And then back to winter again.

These aren’t just yearly cycles — they show up in our days, our weeks, our projects. There’s a time for stillness and a time for action. A time to dream and a time to build. A time to celebrate and a time to grieve what’s ending so something new can begin.

I’ve been exploring this framework for years through Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 5 Elements (which I invite you to explore in my book Calmly Centered), but lately I’m feeling the practical application of it more acutely. Because right now, I’m in that chrysalis space — not quite winter anymore, but not fully spring either. And I’m learning that I don’t have to force the emergence. I can honor where I actually am.

So I’m experimenting with bringing seasonal rhythms into my daily life. Mornings as winter — quiet, reflective, dreaming into the day. Midday as spring and summer — planning, creating, moving. Late afternoon as harvest — appreciating what happened. Evening as autumn — letting go, releasing, preparing for rest.

It’s not perfect. Some days I resist it. But when I flow with it, everything feels more sustainable. More aligned. More alive.

How do you relate to the natural cycles in your life? Do you prefer some seasons and want to skip others? Are you honoring your need for stillness as much as the call to action?