When Winter Comes – About a Book That Teaches You to Rest
Wintering. Katherine May doesn't use that word by chance.
When life stops
You're sitting by the window. It's raining outside, the sky is gray, the world seems to have slowed down. And you feel that something is wrong. Not that anything specific is happening – you're just tired. Empty. Like you've run a marathon and now your legs refuse to move.
Sometimes something happens that turns our world upside down – a sudden illness, the loss of a loved one, a breakup, the loss of a job. And suddenly you find yourself in a long, silent period. It hurts. You are or feel lonely. And the world around you keeps going as if nothing happened.
Maya calls these periods hibernations—her own began with health problems, her husband's illness, and her son's difficulties at school. All at once. And she wrote a book about what she learned then.
I recently went through a similar period, which is why this book selection is for all those who are sad, broken, disappointed, destroyed... everything can be overcome! Give it time.
It's not self-help. It's something deeper.
Don't expect motivational speeches or quick-fix tips. This book is different.
Maya doesn't give instructions on how to feel better - instead, she offers her thoughts and experiences, making you think. She tells the story of how she immersed herself in silence. How she muted the world around her, got rid of distractions and turned her attention inward.
He writes about nature. About mythology. About how bees hibernate. About snowy landscapes. About pagan rituals at Stonehenge. About the Northern Lights.
Does that sound strange? It makes sense. Because nature has its cycles – periods of spring and joy alternate with gloomy winters. And that's okay.
Life is not a straight line. It's a wheel.
Mayo calls on us to change our relationship to periods of depression – even our own sadness can be actively embraced.
You don't have to pretend that everything is fine. You don't have to be "positive" all the time.
The book opposes the culture of positivity - against the constant presentation of our lives on social media, where everything seems great, but no one puts the negative, real, and real there.
What if winterization is necessary? What if there is something that we shouldn't quickly "solve" and "get over"? What if it is simply a period that we simply have to go through? To experience the sadness and pain without ignoring or masking it!
Relief can come not only from deep seclusion, but also from understanding life as a cyclical change, not a linear process.
What will you actually find in that book?
Katherine writes with a certain ease, grace, and admirable skill with words. You read about the social life of ants and suddenly it seems like the most fascinating thing in the world.
You'll learn interesting facts about how people prepare for winter in different countries - for example, in Finland, people start thinking about winter in July. The author gives tips on activities that help reduce stress - sauna, hardening, and the like.
But most importantly – you can feel the author's smile there. Even when she writes about difficult things. Because she knows that even the harshest winter will pass and spring will come again.
The book you keep coming back to
It's a title you can return to over and over again and will always have something to offer. It's not something you read and put down.
It's a book you pick up when it's raining outside. When you're having a hard time. When you need to hear that you're not alone. That winter is part of life. That there's nothing wrong with stopping, slowing down, being quiet for a moment.
„"Winter suffocated me, tore me to pieces. And in that white darkness I saw the possibility of putting myself back together."“
Who is this book for?
For you, when you feel like you're standing still. When you feel like the world is moving on and you can't keep up. When someone tells you to "be positive" and you know that's just not possible right now.
It's not a book that will cure you. But it's a book that will understand you. And that's sometimes more than all the advice in the world.
If you're feeling gloomy or stuck while the world around you is racing forward at a breakneck pace, this book is for you.
The last word
Wintering by Katherine May It's not about how to get out of winter quickly. It's about how to survive in it. How to understand it. How to find something in it that we can then carry with us.
Because winter is not the end. It is a pause. A time when body and soul shrink, withdraw inward, so that they can open up again in spring.
The original name is:
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times Hibernation: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Hard Times
Author: Katherine May
It was published in Czech as „"Wintering"“ – but the English title is far stronger:
Wintering = conscious entry into the winter of the soul, and not „"just resting".
And when you understand that, you change everything.
So the next time you sit by the window with a cup of tea and the raindrops are falling outside – remember this book. And maybe you’ll find that what you’re experiencing now isn’t weakness. It’s hibernation.
„"No pain is more tolerable than the memories of happiness in times of misfortune."“ Dante Alighieri
„"Find a place within yourself where there is joy, and joy will burn away the pain."“ Joseph Campbell
„"Joy always came after pain."“ Guillaume Apollinaire
„"You feel your strength when you experience pain."“ Jim Morrison
"Behind all beautiful things there is some kind of pain"“ Bob Dylan
With love, Daniela
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[…] How to do it: Just a few pages every night before bed. Choose authors who will touch your soul, not those you „should“ read. Just ten pages a night. That’s it. You’ll have read a book in a month. And most importantly – you have a ritual of peace. […]