Winter is not my favourite season at all. It's cold. It's dark for far too many hours of the day. And without fail, I always end up with a dose of the flu.
During those long, cold days, I find myself yearning for the warmer weather. The days pass by so slowly as I watch and wait impatiently for the first signs of Spring - the first green shoots sprouting on the trees, the scent of jasmine on the air and the sun greeting me earlier in the day. There's something about the cold weather that dulls my mood and makes me want to hibernate until the warmth of Spring arrives.
Thankfully, it's not all doom and gloom. Winter also provides me with moments I enjoy - hot chocolates with marshmallows, snuggling under blankets, warm clothes and woollen scarves, and even the occasional walk along the beach. If I don't fill my wintry days with moments of enjoyment, it becomes far too easy to dwell on the negative, and winter becomes a season to endure rather than enjoy.
I was recently reminded by a friend that parenting is no different. Sometimes I am so impatient for my children to reach the next phase of their development, that I miss the beauty of the one they are in now. Some days I long for them to be all at school, but then I realise that my days of having someone at home with me will be over for good. I plan ahead for a career change and all the things I would like to achieve, only to be reminded that I still have plenty of time before I will have complete freedom to do so. I grow impatient with my circumstances, but then remember how much of a privilege it is to invest in my children's lives and watch them grow into who they were created to be.
At times, the wintry days of parenting leave me feeling numb and longing for something better, something more enjoyable, more exciting. But then I am reminded of the seasons and how they change. And just like a long, cold winter, I know just how important it is to find enjoyment in those long days of parenting; To look for the smallest of pleasures on the hardest of days; To enjoy rather than endure motherhood; To be patient and not rush through.
Because I know that all too soon, this season will be gone.
Linking up for IBOT at Essentially Jess.
