Winter: East and West

Winter is a funny thing in South Florida. A lot of the cultural touchstones we appreciate in movies – like snowy days, hot chocolate and ice skating on frozen ponds – don’t exist down here. At best there are a couple days where we pull on that sweater that’s been tucked in the back of the closet for eleven months. You’re more likely to find Santa in a pair of palm tree print swim trunks than his full winter get-up.

I wrote an article last year called Audit Your Rituals where I discussed a practice we could employ during the waning part of the year, to prepare for Spring. The Chinese see the seasons differently than we do in the West. Humans are considered an extension of their environment. They observed that the environment reacts in certain ways with the seasons, and believe that we do too.

With that in mind, I wanted to examine how the environment changes in South Florida with the coming of Winter, and what that may mean for our behavior. I’ll begin by sharing the Chinese concepts and move on to how this may be the same or different here.

Winter: The Season of Connection and Conservation

Life is cyclical. We persist in a constant ebb and flow; day and night, action and inaction, health and illness. The seasons reflect this. Every year we have gradual rebirth in Spring, frenetic growth in Summer, gradual decline in Autumn and eventual stillness in winter. Because we exist in this environment, humans can’t be seen as separate from it. We may have a measure of autonomy, and the intelligence to manage small pieces of our surroundings, but we can’t separate ourselves from the cycle writ large. This is proven with issues like seasonal depression.

Ancient Chinese philosophers explained the world (and the human body) using a system of five elements. Each element is part of a collection of traits including a smell, taste, season, emotion, and organ. Winter belongs to the element water, which is also associated with the following;

Kidney / Bladder

Fear

Willpower

Cold

Black

Salty

Ears

Bone

Wisdom

Conservation

The virtues of wisdom, willpower and conservation are said to be at their most potent during winter. After the harvest season it is now time to take stock and assess the situation before putting plans into motion in the Spring. Our wisdom should be turned inward to contemplate what is important to us on a fundamental level. When we know what is important, we can orient our behavior toward that. Willpower keeps us focused on that path, and conservation assures we don’t waste resources on unnecessary things. Thus, Winter should be a time of introversion. The aim is to connect with the things that are most important to us and conserve our energy to pursue them in the Spring.

The Chinese make a point of making the connection between man and nature, but what about the environment in South Florida? Obviously there are vast cultural differences, but we share the same humanity. If the theory is that we are inexorably tied to the cycles of the world, then we should see some similarities.

Winter: Community and Activity

December through February are the nicest months of the year down here, regarding weather. There’s less rain, lower humidity and milder temperatures; the perfect combination for enjoying the outdoors. This is in stark contrast to a lot of the rest of the country where temperatures plummet. As such, many flock here to enjoy the tropical feel and escape the cold.

Colder whether is best for introspection. It’s much easier to slow down and think about things while bundled up at home when the alternative is freezing. Here is south Florida we’re just getting started. A lot of our festivals are around the end of the year, and that means more activity.

Community becomes important around winter. Thanksgiving, Noche Buena, Christmas, New Years – these are typically times we spend with friends and family, instead of locked away inside. Despite the lack of snow, the holiday vibe is still strong and inspires us to get out there and live it.

Putting Them Together

Winter in China concerns connection and conservation. In South Florida, we value community and activity. The pair of nouns aren’t too far off but they point to different things. Connection means the connection to ourselves, while community is about our connection to others. The second set – activity and conservation – are directly opposed.

What should we do? Well, probably a little bit of both. Enjoy the weather while it’s nice and take advantage of the season, but practice conservation and know when enough is enough. Spend time with the people important to you, but recognize that this includes yourself. Practice asking yourself periodically what you find to be important, because that fosters wisdom. One of South Florida’s draws is that we keep going when everything else slows down, but that can be too much. Have the willpower to practice moderation, because downtime is important to recognize the best way to grow.