Halfway There: Reflections on Wintering

Whichever season you're in, make it your own.

A quiet book club where we read a book that has changed someone’s life. This January & February, we’re diving into Wintering by Katherine May.

We’re about halfway through Wintering, and it’s been a meditative journey so far. Thank you again to Kim Pitts who suggested this book to us.

Deep into Saskatchewan’s winter, a season I’ve been known to loathe, I love the reminder to rest and recover as this season continues. As

Katherine May

writes, “Doing those deeply unfashionable things—slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting—is a radical act now, but it is essential. This is a crossroads we all know, a moment when you need to shed a skin.”

Here are a few reflections from my reading:

• Rarely have I re-read books. When Wintering was suggested, I decided to dive in. What I’ve found is that the winter I’m in for this reading is very different from last time around. Last time, my children were young and our Saskatchewan weather was at its most brutal. Days and days and days of minus 40 or below, coats and red cheeks, tantrums and broken nights. Now, we’re having a strangely warm winter, my children can put on their own coats and gloves (if they bother to wear them) and when I’m awake in the night, I’m not tending to other people’s needs. Life is wild and full and hectic, but if I pay attention there are moments between. As Katherine May shares in the book, “We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.” Does that resonate with you?

• I was struck, too, by these lines and I wondered what you thought about them: “Here is another truth about wintering: you’ll find wisdom in your winter, and once it’s over, it’s your responsibility to pass it on. And in return, it’s our responsibility to listen to those who have wintered before us. It’s an exchange of gifts in which nobody loses out.” Do you think this is true?

• It’s been a challenge to stay awake while reading. Not because I’m not enjoying the writing and ideas, but because I’m in a season where rest is something I’m trying to embrace (doing what the book suggests ;-) Lit candles, early nights, time where I drift while reading to sleep. My days have been ridiculously busy so the book’s reminder to take time to recover is key, even if it means I’m reading much more slowly than usual.

What’s Standing Out to You?

Let’s check in:

• Are there any themes or ideas that have surprised you?

• How are you finding the reading pace? Are two months enough for you and the book?

I hope you’re enjoying this low-key, low commitment reading journey we’re on. I’ve loved hearing from you after the first post in this series, and I especially loved hearing from my mom who read the book with my sister, too. Books are doorways to conversations and connection. Perhaps this will inspire you to chat about the book with someone in your life…

Next steps?

• ~ Day 45 - 60: We’ll open a discussion thread for everyone to share thoughts on themes, characters, tensions and takeaways.

If you know someone who’s looking to join a book club, reshare this post so they discover our Life-Changing Book Club!

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England. I’ve published fourteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as: “For storytellers and story lovers,” by Kirkus Reviews; ‘Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important,” by VOYA; and “Intense and wonderful” by Bif Naked. Join me for coffee breaks to pause in the hurly burly of it all.

Xoxo

Alice