Winter days are often hard to manage through if your bliss in concentrated on things you enjoy during warmer months. Things like swimming and playing tennis is often difficult to do during colder months unless you are lucky enough to belong to a gym who offers indoor heated pools or indoor courts. But fear not there is a remedy for this problem.
If your bliss involves activities that can only take place during warmer months there are many things you can do during your off season. We live in TN and although it doesn't get the harsher weather that many states suffer through during the winter months. The weather can often turn unpredictable and ruin otherwise well laid plans.
I have been scrambling for the last few days trying to get as much done as possible outside in preparation for my garden. I find great joy in raising our own food and are exploring several different things to extend our growing season. We have had temperatures in the 60's and 70's for the last few days and it has been entirely to pretty to stay cooped up inside so I have been working my raised beds and taking stock of what I have on hand and what supplies I will need to lay in for another productive year with my bliss.
I have moved all of my viable plants indoors and purchased some indoor grow lights for an area I have designated as my growing zone. I have started my seedlings for the coming year and as I watch them grow the nasty weather outside doesn't take away from my desire to grow our own food. My darling husband built me a polytunnel last year in hopes of extending our growing season. But this years colder than average for longer periods of time have robbed my growing area outside of its precious heat. But I will not be discouraged by this because it simply means back to the drawing board and finding alternative ways to keep my plants warm and toasty while the worst of the weather rages.
If you are interested in a sport or activity you can take these colder months to plan out our strategy on how you will pursue your bliss once the weather warms. Mapping out time in your schedule to enjoy those activities or investing in the equipment you will need in order to make your dreams of bliss a reality.
You may find that by watching those who excel in the sport of your choice is a good option. Many times athletes will watch others do what they dream of doing in order to study muscles used or styles engaged in order to learn from others. You can also read up on the places within your community that offer free access to places to practice or meet other like minded folks. Many communities have groups that will meet to set up matches or just hang out and discuss the thing that interest you most.
Last year we visited Cheekwood Botanical gardens to get ideas for what we wanted in our garden beds. Ideas for plantings as well as advice from those who knew far more than I do regarding plant hardiness in our area. It is an option if gardening is amongst your list of things that make you happy.
I also spend my winter months going through gardening magazines, gardening websites, and gardening catalogs. Researching possible plants for our upcoming growing season and learning as much as I can about their care. It is how I keep the fire in my belly alive for enjoying my warm weather interest during the colder months.
If you are truly interested in learning about something, be that a sport or a hobby you will take the time of year that it is to cold to pursue to learn more. Think of it as a seed in the winter. It may get dropped into the soil by chance during the final days of fall. But it will protect itself against the cold weather by becoming dormant. Your dreams don't have to die simply because you cannot actively pursue them. Think of the off season as your planning period. It is time to do what you need to do to ensure that your bliss is waiting there to blossom as soon as warmer weather returns.
If you are interested in a sport you may begin conditioning your body to perform at it best when warmer weather returns. Exercises like Yoga often help stretch and tone and can be done in a limited space. Yoga is not expensive nor does it take over your life. It only helps your body remember what it is created for. It helps prepare your body for the activities ahead and allows your mind to concentrate on what makes you the happiest.
Many athletes also use visualization and studies done have shown that muscles fire in the same sequence when visualized as they do when the actual activity is undertaken. So if you cannot be out on the court, visualize yourself practicing that perfect serve in your mind. It will help your dreams of being great at your bliss a reality when you can actually get out there and play the game of your choice.
When something is important to you there are no real roadblocks to your bliss, only speedbumps. Things that may take a little more determination to get over but just as important as the actual activity itself. It is life's way of testing you to make sure this is something you really want to do. You cannot walk out onto a court or playing field without preparation. Even the best athletes stay in top form during their off season. They stay healthy and active in order to do their best when their season is in full swing by staying focused on the game ahead during the seasons in which they cannot play.
I hope my blog today has given you food for thought on ways to enjoy your bliss even if the weather isn't warm enough to follow through with it. That regardless of what Mother Nature and the Weather man may say that it is never to early to engage in things that make you happy and make your life worth living. That you take the time now to start preparing for those days that you can enjoy later by planning out your battle plan on how you are going to fit time in your schedule for those things as well as becoming educated in the activity itself. Instead of sitting in the cold dark house and saying woo is me. Life is to short to be miserable and why spend another moment aimlessly wandering through life, when you can be living a life with purpose.
Until Tomorrow blog buddies, stay safe, stay sane, and be happy.
Preparing my beds for the coming growing season means I can enjoy my bliss even during the months that the actual activity is not an option. By preparing the soil and feeding it as well as my dream I am able to continue my bliss even in the colder months. I take advantage of the things I have readily on hand to enrich the soil. Things that most people consider garbage I know is food for my future garden. Kitchen cast offs, leaves and recycled dirt are used in my beds. With a healthy watering of compost/ worm dropping tea we make ourselves. To ensure that when warmer weather returns I will have the absolute best outcome to our garden and me following my bliss.
Regardless of what your bliss is, take advantage of the slower months to prepare for it. Collect the materials you will need as well as educate yourself and visualize what you want in your life. The planning phase is as important as the actual activity itself. Never allow the whims of nature to deter you from following your bliss, where ever they may lead.
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