Ah Yes, Winter Has Entered the Chat.

I’ll be honest. Winter in Wyoming used to stress me out. The cold felt aggressive. The darkness felt endless. Every year around this time I’d brace myself like I was about to endure something instead of live inside it.

Somewhere along the way, that shifted.

The winter solstice has a way of doing that. It’s quiet, but meaningful. The shortest day of the year. The turning point. Not the start of more light just yet, but the promise that it’s coming. It’s less about celebration and more about noticing.

Winter asks us to live differently, not less. Slower mornings. More layers. Fewer plans that don’t actually matter. Getting outside anyway, even when it’s cold, because fresh air still works in winter and the light, when it shows up, hits in a way no other season can touch. Wyoming winter has a clarity to it that I didn’t appreciate at first. Everything feels stripped down to what counts.

The solstice feels like a reset button for intention. What’s worth carrying forward. What can rest. What doesn’t need to be forced right now. It’s a season for making space. For art. For ideas. For conversations that don’t need an agenda. For letting creativity simmer instead of sprint.

At Westward, winter is when things feel the most honest. Art lingers a little longer. Colors feel deeper. People slow down enough to actually see what’s in front of them. It’s not about hibernating. It’s about being more deliberate with energy, attention, and time.

So if winter has you feeling a little hesitant, you’re not alone. But maybe this is the year to meet it differently. Bundle up. Step outside. Let things be quieter. Let ideas take their time. The light will come back, but this season has something to offer too, if you let it.