Chasing the sun | Welcoming warmth in 2022

In an email to the newsletter a few weeks ago I mentioned that I was going to be spending some time in a different location. If you aren’t following Instagram stories, you may not have seen this, but I’ve set myself up in a tiny studio rental a few blocks from the Pacific in Southern California for the month. Last night I listened to a noisy swell banging the beach and howling winds as I drifted in and out of sleep. My days are full and slow. Work, family, yoga, nature. I’m getting lots of sun on my face and steps underfoot. I’ve dipped in the cool saltwater. I’ve taken in some truly magnificent sunrises and sunsets.

I’m not here to brag. I’m here to share. After a summer of really beautiful time spent in Northern Wisconsin and living in a close rhythm with nature, I was feeling inspired from sunup to sundown most days. And as the days got shorter and cooler, I noticed that I was starting to lose energy. With a background in mindset coaching and all the tools in the world, I was feeling so ashamed that I couldn’t “right this ship.” I kept trying, kept getting to the cold water as much as I could, walking, sun when / where possible, etc.

And then my body started to throw a fit. I mentioned in a few emails that I was experiencing some health issues, and these just kept getting more consistent, more painful, and just plain rudely intrusive. I was ignoring a message. And that message was that I needed space and warmth. I do believe that you can overcome any obstacle you set your mind to, but was I setting my mind to something that was going against what was meant for me in this season?

So I finally asked myself what I needed. And then I listened. I had to practice what I have been preaching here for the last few years and facilitate some consistent blue mind. I had to give myself permission to want the warmth even when I knew I could push my body to overcome the cold. I mean, the PAINFUL irony and hypocrisy when I received all the new COLD WATER SWIM CLUB gearand my acupuncturist was adamant that I stay out of extreme cold.

And I felt guilty. I had built a brand about the lake, and all I wanted was the ocean. While I am the first to tell others that they should follow their nudges, soul, heart, intuition, etc., when it comes to my life, I am first to question my own desires. But my body was persistent. And I am here.

And with each sunrise and sunset and warm day and hour spent listening to the roar of the pacific, I can actually feel myself settling. I’ve been sleeping more than I can ever remember, as if my body finally feels safe to rest. It’s that or the sunshine tiring me out.

The last two years have been intense for any human, and I think I expected myself to just push through and be a beacon of health and hope for this community with my messages and access to so many beautiful natural resources. I hope that some part of my message, this brand, has served or impacted you in some way. If you are tired, please rest. If you are hearing nudges, please listen. If you are seeking inspiration, go find it. If you are craving blue mind or a brilliant sunset, chase it. 

Cheers to a powerful 2022. May it be all we individually and collectively require.

Big love.

Katherine

New towels & totes.