The The It is so hard in this day and age to be still.

Do you ever find yourself waiting somewhere, in line at the grocery store, sitting at a red light,

waiting for your friend to meet you at a

restaurant, and you pick up your phone to pass the time? I know I do. Pretty much everyone I know does,

in fact. It's so very tempting to be continuously stimulated, to be busy and productive every

moment, or just to be simply entertained.

Being truly present and quiet can be uncomfortable. Or as my three-year-old says,

Boring! Already at just three years old, he feels the need to be constantly entertained,

and I can't blame him because I can easily fall into that cycle, too.

I jokingly said to a friend on New Year's Eve, my New Year's resolution is to take more

naps.

And then, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn't a joke.

While nearly every year prior to this one,

I've listed somewhat ambitious goals for myself, I'm finding my outlook to be quite different this

year. I'm finding the deep value in slowing down, the luxury of slow mornings. I've always

prioritized rest, but now I'm truly seeing how essential it is

for optimal health. The winter is a time for hibernation. Nature is almost dormant in the snow and ice.

It's a time of storage and preservation. At the start of a new calendar year, it's understandable

that we should feel called to reset and reframe our goals and habits. There's a collective

new beginning that's occurring, and much to be gained from tapping into that current. Still,

for many people, this manifests as harsh discipline

and austerity, whipping the body into vigorous exercise and restrictive diets. Winter doesn't

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