Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
An intimate, revelatory book exploring the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down.
Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered.
Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered.
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I thought this book was just about rest and retreat but it is so much more. The historical and current example of how groups and individual "winter" add so much to this. Katherine's own story is powerful.
REALLY enjoyed this one. It's helped me to be kinder to myself during this difficult time.
KEY QUOTES:
“Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximising scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.”
― Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult
"Wintering is the active acceptance of sadness. It is the practice of allowing ourselves to feel it as a need. It is the courage to stare down the worst parts of our experience and to commit to healing them the best we can. Wintering is a moment of intuition, our true needs felt keenly as a knife.”
― Katherine May, Wintering: The power of rest and retreat in difficult times
“We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.”
― Katherine May, Wintering: The power of rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
Poignant, eloquent, and full of quiet wisdom. I wasn’t sure at first, but I was soon drawn in by the sincerity with which Katherine May reflects on life’s more difficult seasons. Her insights felt deeply personal yet relatable for so many, and I found myself highlighting countless gems—words I know I’ll return to for comfort and reflection. Truly a beautiful read!
As a sun-seeking gal, I have a fresh perspective on the transformative power of winter, rest, and giving ourselves a break when needed.
This book singlehandedly helped me out of the darkest time of my life. I want everyone to buy a copy of this book. Katherine May's writing is beautiful, Tolkien-esque, and naturalistic. She makes a snowy walk seem romantic and makes one look forward to learning how to survive the ups and downs of every day life. "Survival is a skill" was my mantra after this book, thanks to May and her wisdom. This whole book is a beautiful homage to survival.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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