Sandhill Crane: December 15 - 21

The Great Migration: Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska

My mom just had knee surgery. Please send healing thoughts her way. This week, I'll be visiting her golf community in Lady Lake, Florida, where Sandhill Cranes also live. These birds have been doing their thing for over 2.5 million years. Click the caption above to learn more. They are the inspiration for this week's reflection.

Floridian Sandhill Cranes are non-migratory birds unlike my mom who migrates between New York and Florida each year. Other Sandhill Crane populations have been traveling from Canada to Mexico, year after year, century after century, millennia after millennia. Built into their DNA is the knowledge to find shelter, to find food, and to survive as a species season after season.

We humans have that same knowledge built into our bones. In North America, the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, and nature is preparing for winter's hibernation. My body craves stillness and sleep, to enter into a period of rest and renewal like seeds underground. Am I listening to the inner stirrings of my body and my heart? That is the challenge of the season, to find a quiet place inside amidst the bright lights and busyness all around.

Practice

While you're scheduling holiday parties and shopping trips, reserve some time on the calendar for yourself. Plan a mini retreat. Stay in your warmest jammies, grab a mug of hot chocolate, read, journal, meditate, and nap. Be like a crane and listen to your deepest instincts.

Here's a brief reflection to help get started.

Find a quiet spot, maybe light a candle, wrap yourself in a blanket and settle in. Recognize you have always been part of nature. Let the earth hold you and the season guide you. Release any autumn leaves still clinging to your branches as your roots rest in the ground, storing up nutrients for the weeks and months ahead. There is nothing to do and no place to be. Linger in these days of stillness. Let the fading light illumine your deepest longings. Wait a little longer in this in between time, patiently allowing dormant seeds to develop and grow. At some point, you'll need to return to the activities of the day, but in the secret chamber of the heart continue to hold and honor your intentions and instincts.