The Importance of Living In Rhythm of the Seasons as a Family

Burnout while ignoring the rhythm of the seasons

Before I had children, living in rhythm of the seasons was never something I gave any thought to. I went straight from graduate school to teaching, so my year has always centered around the academic calendar.  However, as I got busier with teaching I ignored the natural rhythm of the seasons more and more. Instead, deadlines were what drove my calendar.

Instead of paying attention to the cadence of the seasons, I exclusively paid attention to grading periods and testing windows.  When the days were short in the winter I often didn’t even see sunlight. I arrived at school before the sun fully rose and I went home well after dark. If I was tired- I just ignored it. Instead of resting, I just pushed myself harder and made a bigger cup of coffee.

In the summer, I tended to corners of my life that I had let slide for the past 10 months. Instead of slowing down to savor the longer days, I just tried to fit more things into a single day.

Eventually, burn out began to creep in. It wasn’t necessarily from the hours I was keeping, but from the way that I was completely ignoring the rhythm of the seasons and the world around me. My days and weeks were all the same and I rarely felt any spirit of renewal. 

A sense of renewal

Then I had my first daughter and I started using the seasons as inspiration for different activities and books. And gradually- I felt less exhausted.

The renewal I needed began to slowly come as I paid more attention to the shifts in seasons. I slightly adjusted our family activities to fit the current season we were in and began to feel a sense of restoration.

During this time, I wasn’t working any less- arguably, I was working more. I was finishing a Master’s degree, teaching new classes, and I was a new mom. But by slightly shifting our lifestyles according to the season we were in, our world felt a little fresher.  I no longer felt like I was on a constant cycle of repeatedly just working away the week.

I firmly believe that God designed the world to give us this variety and to help us avoid the monotony that can lead to burn out. Ignoring that variety can cause us to eventually feel like we’ve stripped our wheels. 

I also believe that each season holds something special that is ours to discover. Whether it’s something about the world, ourselves, or our relationships, being mindful of the seasons can unlock new lessons, joy, and inspiration.

a gift to my family and children

I want to give my children the gift of seeing the joy and peace that living in rhythm with the seasons can bring. I want them to feel a connection to the natural world, because that’s when I think we feel most alive.

It’s important to me that they have a rhythm to their years. I don’t want them to feel like their years are filled with repetitive weeks that are only broken up by the occasional holiday or vacation.  

And while I want this for them as adults, I also want to teach it to them as early as possible. Toddlers and preschoolers (especially before they start school) struggle with a sense of time. It’s difficult for them to know when Christmas is or when we get to go hiking again. Helping them define and recognize the periods of the year really helps them start to acquire a sense of time. Feeling a sense of predictability can bring a lot of peace to them.

Being able to recognize the changing seasons by not only seeing the changes in the world around them, but also by the changing rhythm of our home, will help them fully understand the seasons and the structure of the year. These patterns can give them a sense of order- something that toddlers and preschoolers are continually seeking.

I also want them to distinctly remember family memories that we make at different times of year. Memory is so tied to senses, and I want to give them the gift of strong family memories. When they smell cinnamon in the fall, I hope they remember how we made apple butter after going to the orchard. I want them to remember the anticipation of planting a new garden in the spring when they feel soil in their hands. I want them to smell the nip of snow in the air and remember our snow day traditions.

In this section of my website you’ll find different posts about how we bring awareness of the seasons to our young daughters through books, activities, and special family memories. You’ll also see how we use the seasons as inspiration for learning and exploring. I hope it helps your family find joy in living in rhythm with the seasons.

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