29 Comments
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Neela 🌶️'s avatar

As someone who's been shamed for 'winter lethargy,' I appreciate your reframe. Bears don't apologize for hibernation, so why should we?

This piece is why we need more nature diaries - where else would we get such vivid dispatches from the frontlines of forest life?

Happy Friday, Sophie.

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Sophie S.'s avatar

Glad you liked it, I think a lot of us have been shamed for winter lethargy!

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Daniel Mordue's avatar

Thursday for me.

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Bougie Hippie's avatar

Hi Sophie. I also moved off grid. Feels like witness protection for my soul. 🦋

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Sophie S.'s avatar

Hey very cool, hi fellow off gridder 👋

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Dr Vicki Connop's avatar

This is such a soothing read Sophie. I agree, we humans are taught to bulldoze our way through life with no recognition of the cycles of nature and our different needs at different times. It's madness. I'm with you all the way, slowing down, turning inwards, cocooning as the winter draws closer 💚

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Sophie S.'s avatar

Thank you glad you liked it. I did so much cocooning this weekend and I feel completely revived today 😊

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Dr Vicki Connop's avatar

It was definitely the weekend for it! That said, I spent much time in the rain and the mud, pushing on through with my garden project. It was quite fun though to be up close and personal with the elements 😃

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Sophie S.'s avatar

Good on you, I can imagine that must've been fulfilling and rewarding too 😊

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Mario Da Silva's avatar

Thank you Sophie for reminding us that it’s ok to slow down when seasons change, it’s okay to feel like we need to rest more and relax. It’s not always revving up to our top performance. We’re not machines but we are treated as such.

It’s something I have been much more aware. And now that we entering the spring and then summer, there’s a slog coming to seasonal change because it’s freaking normal! There are days I just feel to rest a bit more in bed. And that’s ok.

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Sophie S.'s avatar

That is 100% ok, especially since you've had a rough couple of months I think, rest when you feel the need to!

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Jessica Tefenkgi Ruelle's avatar

I love the groundedness this bring, and the permission slip that I needed. Thank you Sophie!

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Sophie S.'s avatar

thanks Jessica, glad you liked it

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Kaitlyn Ramsay's avatar

Loved reading this, Sophie. I felt like I was there with you. I really miss the heat of a wood stove—it's comforting like nothing else, even when the temp goes a bit higher than anticipated 🤣

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Sophie S.'s avatar

It always goes higher than anticipated when I do it 😅 but yes nothing beats that kind of heat

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Kaitlyn Ramsay's avatar

Me too 😅 my mom always yells at me when I visit her because I load the stove before she wakes up and by afternoon she’s got all the windows open 🤣

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Mika's avatar

Wow, I’m really enjoying the video.

Nature really can teach us so much. Especially about seasons and being ok with slowing down.

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Sophie S.'s avatar

It's a great video! Especially for a rainy weekend like this one 😊

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Mika's avatar

So rainy! We’re visiting fam, and I’m just happy that we didn’t decide to go and Airbnb somewhere for the beach during Easter 😆

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Sophie S.'s avatar

Yep great time to just be indoors with family 😊

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Heather Briann's avatar

Yes Sophie !! Yes to reclaiming your own natural and instinctive rhythms. Also, I started watching this video on New Zealand - stunning - gorgeous - yes. At the beginning the narrator is speaking to how I would describe New Zealand to others :: untouched - like I was at the edge of the world - pristine.

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Sophie S.'s avatar

The video is a great watch, explains very well why this country is so crazy about birds

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Claudia Kollschen's avatar

Beautiful! It's the first text I've read after waking up just now (4.30am) and it was such a lovely, calm and beautiful post to start the day with! Thank you, Sophie! 🥰

Also, you're absolutely right about seasonal adaptation instead of seasonal depression. Again one of these things that society invented to pull us further away from being connected to nature. Love your reframe and will remember your bear image from now on. 😊

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Sophie S.'s avatar

Naw thanks for your kind words! That's a very early time to wake up 😴 but I'm glad I helped you have a good start to your day

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Claudia Kollschen's avatar

It might feel early for many people, for me it's the normal time to wake up. 😉 I love the peaceful time of the mornings when no one else is awake and I have the world to myself. Then I can write best. 😇

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Sophie S.'s avatar

I wake up at 5am so I definitely know what you mean, but for some reason anything before that feels like "nighttime" and as you say, it's probably just what we're used to - enjoy your quiet time writing 😊

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Claudia Kollschen's avatar

I know what you mean with "anything before feels like nighttime", that's me before 4am. 😄 But it has shifted over time, and for now I'm happy I can live, sleep and write according to my natural rhythm. ☺️

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Anouk VdV's avatar

I Will read this again when the days in Belgium are ketting shorter to remind myself. This is a solid insight.

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Sophie S.'s avatar

I'll make sure to remind you 😉

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