SITTING WITH WINTER

I quit my job in 2020 and began my journey in jewellery design.

For a long time, I wasn’t sure where I was going or what I’m doing.

It felt like a long winter to me, and I didn’t know when it was going to end to make way for spring.

This portrait was taken when I was in the depth of winter. It reminds me that even in the valleys, I have sat with it and walked through it.

It takes immense self acceptance, faith and patience to learn to be okay with feeling there’s nothing - barren; to allow yourself to be messy and reminding yourself that it’s part of the process; to hold on to the believe that God is good and has great plans for me, even if I cannot understand or see it right now.

Winter is not a season of failing, as much as it feels like it.

It is one of the four seasons in the cycle of life.

It is a season to allow yourself space to grieve, to accept, to be still - to know what is most important to you. It’s learning not to rush into fixing yourself or the ‘issues’ in life, but to rest and love yourself through the winter.

When your perspective on what winter really means - that it’s not ‘emptiness’, but a time to grow deeper roots and to rest so nutrients can be better absorbed, then you can be more mindful of your thoughts and changes, and gain more conviction and faith when it’s time to move forward.

During this time, I have found that it’s important to find your safe people - people who sit with you in the darkness without judgment, yet also nudge you with loving honesty when you need it. It’s okay to say no to people who can’t be that to you during this time. This is part of learning to love yourself too.

-AMI

Reflection: Do you have your ‘safe people’ to go to? Who are they?

與冬天共處

我在 2020 年辭去了工作，開始了我的首飾設計之旅。

有一段很長的時間，我都不確定自己在做什麼，或走在甚麼的路上。
當時的我，只感到這個冬天很漫長。我不知道冬天何時才會結束，迎來春天的的百花齊放。

這張照片拍攝的時候，我正處身於嚴冬中。它提醒著我 - 即使在低谷裏，我也曾與之共處，並且走過來。
與“荒蕪”或“空虛”的感覺共處， 需要無比的自我接納，信任和耐心；允許生命裡的凌亂，並提醒自己這是人生過程的一部分；堅信上帝是美善的，而且已經為我有美好的計劃，即使現在的我無法理解或看得見。

冬天這季節並不代表失敗。
它是生命循環中的四季之一。
冬天這個季節讓我們有空間去哀悼、接納和靜止 - 讓我們更了解對我們而言最重要的人或事。它讓我們試著學習不急於修復自己或解決生活中的“問題”，而是讓我們在冬天中學會休息並更愛自己。
當你重新理解冬天存在的真正意義 - 它並不是“荒蕪”，而是讓我們的根基長得更深，讓我們在休息的空間內好好的吸收養分 - 你與冬天共處的時候就能得更深的覺悟，並在春天來臨時更有信念和信心的向前走。

在冬天裡，我發現找到你部落的人是最重要的 - 那些在黑暗中不批判地陪伴著你，但在你需要時以誠實的愛推動著你的人。面對著那些在這段時間無法接受或支持你的人，你也能學著說“不”。這也是學會愛自己的一部分。

想一想：你身邊有能這樣能讓你覺得安全的人嗎？他們是誰？