A Wistful Winter – The Dormant Season

Winter is a two-fold season. You have this wonderful time of merriment, giving, joy, and essentially a purpose to end the year on a high note. Then comes the beginning of the year and after the highs of the end of the year, the quiet of January/February seem to create a low in our lives.

Some of us are dealing with several feet of snow or stuck indoors hiding from the bitter cold of winter. There isn’t much activity at the start of the year, and after a couple of weeks your New Year’s resolutions have lost their shiny luster. You find yourself in a dormant season of doing the mundane things that are not exciting to talk about with others because they are boring or monotonous.

Now, this “dormant season” can come at any time of year, not just in winter. The metaphor of winter just fits perfectly with the feelings you get when all of the thrills of everyone celebrating with you regarding your new project, idea, or accomplishment. Then it all wears off and boom you find yourself in a quiet place where no one is congratulating you because what you are doing isn’t exciting, yet it is still necessary.

It’s like when the holidays of Christmas and New Year’s comes, and everyone is amped for it and celebrates, then the end of the first week of January rolls around and the doldrums hit because the joy of the holidays has ended, your time off has expired, and all your focus on that time has been spent and now it is back to your regularly scheduled program of life. This is when resolutions are forgotten, joy turns to boredom, and the zeal for completing tasks is lost.

Dormant Seasons can feel as cold and lonely as Winter

The dormant season is a rough season. It is quiet, cold, lonely, and even maddening. Like running on a hamster wheel with no end of stopping in sight. There is no timeline for a dormant season. It can last days, months, or even years. This is when a lot of people lose their dream. Don’t let this be you.

I have been through many dormant seasons, and I have hated every single one, but the important thing about dormant seasons is they prepare and grow you for all of the fast paced excitement that is to come.

I believe the Roman philosopher Seneca stated, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. Preparedness happens in a dormant season. The worst thing that I have experienced is when an opportunity comes your way, and you aren’t prepared for it. In that moment I regretted not taking advantage of my dormant season to prepare for that now missed opportunity.

Let’s have a conversation:

Have you ever experienced a dormant season in your life? What did you learn from it? Did opportunity come knocking afterwards?
Maybe you are in a dormant season right now and don’t see that light at the end of the tunnel? That’s ok too. Let me know in the comments.

Even if you have to take a step away and remind yourself why you are doing what you are doing, do it. Figure out what your end goal or dream is. Then make a plan and get right back to it with new passion and vigor. It isn’t always easy, but it is definitely worth it. I’m here to encourage you that it will come, just be patient and keep doing what you are doing!