Restore: Reflecting on Rest in Winter and Beyond

By Kary Gillenwaters

It is March 2nd here in Minnesota. Some years, the snow has melted and shoots of green have begun to pop through the earth’s surface.

Some days trick us— the longer hours of sunlight, sprinkled in with some days of warmer temps and we’re almost certain spring is around the corner. In fact, the irises near a window reveal they had the same response as tiny green shoots were showing prior to our latest two rounds of snow in the past weeks.

We have been talking about taking note of what restores us this winter— noticing our similarities and differences and making space for the reality it looks different for each of us. On top of it— it can vary from one day to the next.

We are also noticing how common it is to expect ourselves and each other to have consistent ability to function each day, whether or not our needs for rest have been met or not.

A Glimpse Ahead

Now that you’ve been introduced and re-introduced to more voices of the blog, we’d like to let you know of a few more things to expect on this subject:

1. Check out the work of OTA students Britnee Gare, Jeremy Brunner, and Kat Karberg as they explore their own activity/occupational preferences while looking through the lens of their senses. You’ll also see more in depth reflections on the various types of rest we all need.

2. Watch for the community conversations— last month we hosted an online conversation about rest for health care professionals, stay tuned to our spring chat on this topic.

3. Peter Simon will be sharing his observations on resolutions and several more members will be adding to the conversations as well.

For now, I leave you with an image of one of my favorite places to restore— by the water.

Shoreline of Lake Superior in transition from winter to spring in 2021