Winter On Nantucket
Winters on Nantucket can be a lot of things… It can be really hard to live up here in the off-season. You can feel isolated, lonely, cold, and let’s not even talk about the howling wind! But it can also be healing, beautiful, peaceful, and a time to slow down, breathe deeply and do some inner work. When I lived up here full-time, I only lasted one full winter and a half and I wish that I felt the way about the winters that I do now, but we live and learn and I was a different person in a different place almost 10 years ago.
Now, I am starting to LOVE these winter days here on the island. Each time I come up here I feel a shift. The Nantucket healing magical powers are the REAL DEAL if you are open to seeing them, feeling them, and embracing them. I see signs everywhere up here. Call me Kookie Katie, but the universe is powerful 30 miles out at sea…
Don’t believe me…Here are TWO examples…I was walking with my little sister and her baby and all of a sudden we saw about 50 robins in someone’s yard. We both looked at each other and were like this is odd and what does this even mean…It’s 20 degrees outside, what are robins doing here…Of course, as soon as I got home, I had to look it up to see if there was a meaning…
“This creature will teach you how to incorporate new beginnings with faith and trust in the process. It is time to believe in yourself and use the inspiration that you receive. Listen carefully. It is time to sing your song for a new period in your life.”
I never saw a swarm of robins again, but I would see one or two sporadically on my walks!
Things that make you go hmmm….
The other one…brings me chills! I was on a run and it was hard AF. My body and mind weren’t having it, but it was a beautiful morning and I wanted to be out there. The wind was howling and coming at me full force. I was miserable, but I knew that when I turned around to head home, the wind would be against my back, so there was one positive thing! It was a relief to have the wind behind me. With less than 30 minutes left, I felt a push from behind!!! It was almost like someone had put their hands on my lower back and given me a gentle push forward. It was insanely powerful and my feet immediately sped up and then I was back to my normal pace.
Things that make you go hmmm….
My time here always goes by so fast and I hate leaving. This trip taught me a lot and I grew a lot and I had some major breakthroughs. I was also able to see all of my siblings, my Mom, and old friends, which always feels so good. I never know what Nantucket will throw at me, but I have learned to embrace it and go with it. Here’s a recap of what went down my 10 days 30 miles out at sea…
FOOD
Nothing new to report here…I just notice that my appetite is on FIRE every time I am up here. I don’t know if it is the colder days, all the walking I do, or just the salty air, but something ignites it and I work really hard to let go of my control and listen to my body. Plus, it’s so nice to have Mom’s home-cooked meals…I didn’t really focus on the food as much as I usually do, as there were other things to be grateful for…It was just nice to have family meals at the table, catch up, and enjoy the moments. For the first time, I really didn’t take many photos of food. The food is always good here. The food always makes me feel good here. I guess I was just living in the moment and feeding my body and soul with all the good stuff!
WORKOUTS
The Nantucket air had my body wanting to move A LOT! I think it was a combination of releasing some stress, but also that the Nantucket air is so crisp, clean, and energizing, I just went with it. My body felt strong and I didn’t feel like I was overdoing it, rather it felt healing, powerful, and detoxifying.
I did a lot of running…I did my workouts at the gym…and I walked and walked and walked. Being able to step outside the door and walk aimlessly for miles is so AMAZING! The weather was all over the place…we had snow, wind, rain, sun, bitterly cold weather, and mild weather, but it didn’t stop me from moving outside. I embraced it and enjoyed every second. GRATEFUL GRATEFUL GRATEFUL!
DISCONNECTING
I no longer need to explain why I take breaks in this space. Social Media can be toxic and now I just stop doing it when it is not serving me. These platforms keep changing, the content feels repetitive and not always real, and the censorship is a little over the top, so I am just trying to stay on my path of inspiring, learning, growing, and educating myself and my readers with meaningful content.
I also know that every time I take a few days away it gives me space and time to plan for what’s next. It is just like how when I run all the creative juices start flowing and as soon as I get home, I write them all down. It is the same as taking time away from social media. My calendar and notepad become full with notes. I feel refreshed and ready to get back into the groove.
SLOWING DOWN
This is so hard for me and it takes me a few days to slow down here, but the winter FORCES you to do this because the winter pace up here is a lot different than the summer pace. There’s no rushing to the beach, picking up sandwiches, the brewery, then dinner, then out…Those summer days are go go go, meanwhile these winter days are slow slow slow!
We all need to slow down…I need to slow down, press the reset button, focus on my work, focus on family, focus on how grateful and beautiful this island is. Once I fully settle into island time it is pure bliss and then it’s time for me to go…LOL! And as I look at the weeks ahead, there is a lot on the calendar, there are meetings to be had, projects to be completed, birthdays…It is going to be busy when I get back, so I needed to enjoy the quiet.
The slowing down involved less TV…More reading…Walking with no distractions…Peaceful drives around the island…Sleeping in…Writing…
I am not sure when I will be bACK again…I haven’t booked a flight yet, but we will just have to wait and see. I’m sure the universe will let me know!
xoxo
