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Reflections
PUBLISHED BY REFLECTIONS RESOURCES, LTD. Winter, 2005
Working with schools, parents, and organizations to reflect on
and improve the quality of career, relationships, and life transitions.
A MESSAGE FROM MARY MCGRATH
Since the solstice the sun has been increasing. Has anyone noticed the longer days or is everyone just working long days anyway? Nature presents us with many features of fancy during every season. Recently I took my car in for repair and while I stood indoors waiting I watched a raccoon making rounds in the parking lot. Later the same day, while exchanging my cell phone for an upgraded phone, I noticed flock after flock of Canada geese flying in formation. Keep those eyes open! One never knows what fascinating features will manifest themselves during the mundane and routine in our lives. Watch for the sunset times to get later too!
Happy New Year! Mary
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Making the Most of the “in” in Winter
There is no getting around it! Winter is not the same as the other seasons in terms of climate - here in the Midwest! The bitter cold, a bit of ice, harsh winds make a lot of educators glad they have a predominantly indoor job. Parents perhaps cringe when they have to escort their children to the bus or watch a ski tournament when weather drops into the single digits and wind chills plummet to double digit numbers prefaced with a minus sign.
Nevertheless there are certainly a wealth of ways to make the best of this time of year. (Those of you reading this in Florida can just skip ahead if you wish.)
Indoor recreation includes unlimited possibilities from aquatics and racquetball to treadmills and table tennis. Those who enjoy the more sedentary activities can increase the Bridge group gatherings or dust off the board games. Both kinds of activities are designed to optimize social opportunities to avoid the sense of feeling cut off during the winter. Solo activities such as crafts, woodworking, writing, music and art lend themselves to creative relaxation. Take time to read the great American novel or if the winter seems like it will be long, the endless Russian classic.
But besides finding something to “do” winter invites us to inside ourselves to explore the richness within. This may include accessing dreams suppressed when we are on the move during warmer seasons.
Going “in”, whether with personal or social activity or enriching ourselves with solitude, we can still make this season of winter a time of fun and personal relaxation and enrichment.
Come on in! The weather out there is just fine with those who have found their inner resources.
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Current:
“Backwards or Forwards?! Creating a Time Travel Adventure Story” South Central Service Coop-Young Writers- March 9/10, 2005
“We Admire YOU! Young People and Adults Writing about a Hero or Heroine”, Hastings Community Education, April 19, 2005 7:00-8:30 P.M. Call: 651-438-5912
“My Major Impact Person: Writing about a Hero or Heroine”, Young Writers, Southwest/West Central Service Cooperatives, Marshall, MN, May 17, 2005
Southeast Service Cooperative, Rochester, MN May 18-19, 2005
Permission granted to copy and share this newsletter with others. When printing the article section please include attribution and contact information as below.
Mary Z. McGrath Ph.D., Speaker/Author/Educator
Reflections Resources, Ltd.
Phone: 952-894-7707 Fax: 952-890-3229
E-Mail: info@maryzmcgrath.com
http://www.maryzmcgrath.com
“Self-care keeps you there!”
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