Some Midwinter Encouragement
Midwinter is a difficult time. In a lot of ways, February is the shortest month of the year but feels the longest. At this point in time, during a pandemic, I find it all the more important to remind myself that days that feel long and arduous don’t last forever. Here are some encouragements that I have needed and have told myself in the past few days. I’m sharing them in hopes that they might lift you up as well.
Take a break—and don’t feel bad about it.
I used to feel really bad about taking breaks. Consequently, the things I enjoyed doing when taking breaks—walking, playing games, hanging out with friends—didn’t feel as fun. Listen to your body and your mind…if you need a break, take one. You will come back far more refreshed and ready to work. Now, we may all know these things, but here’s the reminder: rest is not something you earn for being good enough—you just get to do it, because you’re a person and it’s a necessity.
Summer seldom remembers winter’s toil.
When we’re feeling good about life and work—or rather, when we’re at the point in the creative or other work cycle that sees us reaping a lot of rewards but not really having to sow much—it can make the difficult times far more difficult. My encouragement to you to trust the process, but also trust yourself. Even if you can’t see it right now, the seed that is planted and taken care of will soon grow, given that it is planted on good soil, and yes, in case you need to hear this: you’re the good soil. There’s nothing you can do to make yourself better soil—you are already the fertile ground.
Failure is inevitable. And okay.
Last week, I was making one of my favorite Korean dishes and it just bombed. I was making my favorite homemade rice cakes and they disintegrated in the sauce and I was left with a disgusting, gelatinous mess (in what was admittedly a tasty sauce). Does this mean that I will never cook again? No. Does one failed dish make me a bad cook or human? Also no. Always remember that you are not your failures (you are not your successes, either, but that’s another blog post). Repeat it with me; “I made a mistake, but I am not the mistake I made. A mistake is what I did, not who I am.”
If you have a chance, always hype up your friends.
Reminded by Jerry Won, we all win together. You never know the difference that hype can make for your friends. Afraid they might get opportunities and you’ll be left out? That’s normal, but unfounded in most cases. Competition is useless when it involves edging people out of the table where a finete number of opportunities to succeed and be heard do not exist. There is a place for everyone, and even in the case where people from minoritized communities are not allowed in the room, that just means we need to build a bigger room—not that anyone should be excluded from it.
We are living in really difficult times. I hope this post reminded you of how awesome you are. We could all use a little more light in these short, dark days. Stay safe and healthy.
