Winter Resilience

We have so much snow. ?? Incredible amount of snow.

It reminds me of when I went skiing in Japan, high up in the mountains where the snowfall is so heavy that even the tallest trees are swallowed by it. Only their very tops poke through, transformed into strange, ghostly figures—snow monsters standing guard over the mountains.

These are known as Juhyō (樹氷), or "tree ice," a phenomenon unique to Japan’s Mount Zao. When cold Siberian winds sweep across the Sea of Japan, they carry supercooled water droplets that freeze onto the Aomori fir trees. Layer by layer, ice and snow build upon them until they become towering white creatures, eerie and beautiful all at once. It’s breathtaking. But it’s also humbling.

Because when nature decides to bury everything beneath its weight, there’s no fighting it. The Japanese don’t see winter as something to conquer. They move with it. The Juhyō don’t resist the snow—they become part of it.

And yet, here we are. Shoveling. Endlessly shoveling. ??

The snow falls faster than we can clear it, piling up in heavy drifts that erase the paths we worked so hard to clear the day before. It’s a battle that feels impossible to win—one step forward, two steps back. We wake up to another snowfall, another driveway to clear, another round of fighting against winter’s persistence.

It makes you wonder… will spring ever come? ??

The cold seeps into our bones. The skies stretch gray and heavy for what feels like forever. The novelty of the first snowfall? That’s long gone, buried under the weight of exhaustion.

It’s easy to feel stuck. To let the season settle into our thoughts. To believe that nothing is moving forward, that we’re frozen in place, waiting for something—anything—to change.

But here’s the thing: even under all this snow, the trees are still growing. ??

They look lifeless now—bare branches, frozen roots buried deep beneath the ground. But beneath the surface, beyond what we can see, there is movement. There is quiet, unwavering work happening in preparation for what comes next.

Acknowledge the Weight of Winter ??

It’s okay to feel tired. To feel unmotivated. To admit that some days, just making it through is enough. Trees don’t fight the cold; they adapt. They slow down. They conserve energy. They do what’s necessary to survive the season. And we can, too.

Remember What’s Happening Beneath the Surface ??

Just because we can’t see progress doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Every season of stillness is also a season of preparation. The roots of trees are stretching, absorbing nutrients, strengthening for the seasons ahead. What if, instead of resisting this time, we trusted that growth is still happening—even if we can’t see it?

The Season Will Change ??

No winter lasts forever. Even when it feels endless, spring will come. The snow will melt. The branches will bloom again. Energy will return.

But the question isn’t if things will shift—it’s how we choose to experience it in the meantime.

Flow With the Season, Don’t Fight It ??

Do we see winter as an obstacle, or as an invitation to embrace its lessons? This aligns with the Ensō Mindset—finding flow rather than resisting. The Ensō circle represents movement, wholeness, and the beauty of impermanence. Winter, too, is fleeting. It is not something to fight against but a season to experience fully, knowing that it will pass.

So, if you’re feeling buried under the weight of the season—whether literally by snow or figuratively by exhaustion, doubt, or frustration—remember this:

?? The tree still grows. And so will you. ??

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And so… how deep do your roots go?

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