Right around January 15, and lasting through til March, my brain freezes up like a popsicle and I’m basically a meat paperweight.

I can’t think. I can’t write. I can’t create. Because I have the memory of a bumblebee, I used to freak out every winter, right on January 15th. Thinking this was something new and scary!

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!”

“WHY CAN’T I DO THIS. IT USED TO BE SO EASY!”

“THIS IS MY LIFE NOW AND EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE TERRIBLE FOREVER.”

Every winter, I’d have a series of inert, implosive meltdowns.

I’d sit down to work and turn into a lump of blankets and cats, staring off into space while quietly losing all of my shit.

It wasn’t until I started tracking these dips and bursts of energy and creativity that I realized this happens every winter at exactly the same time, in exactly the same way.

I did this for years until I discovered the importance of a good deep mental composting. I learned to embrace it and come out the other end a finely-tuned kyriarchy-smashing fireball of creative energy.

So last year, I experimented with intentionally retreating, recentering, and getting my shit together. Accepting this frozen time to prepare for the year to come.

I even turned it into a seasonal collective where we could do this together – the Parent Activist Winter Incubator. I hope you’ll join me for it next January!