It started to settle into all of us in the third week, after the holiday cleanup was finished and the annual inventory was complete. A sense of “now what?” A genuine malaise that at first we each tried to hide but then thankfully, one by one, we all started talking about it amongst ourselves. The January blahs. The cold. The wet. The dark. The lack of good customer traffic to break up the long days. The inability to find motivation that doesn’t feel forced. A genuine longing for the sun and the flowers and the people.
It helps to know the feeling is a shared one. It helps to rationalize that many animals and plants also feel the need to slow down, rest and “hibernate” through the darkest, coldest months. It helps to give each other “permission” to feel all the feelings and to acknowledge that there’s nothing out of the normal, that in fact this is how every wet January feels. It helps to remind each other that it’s ok to embrace the slow down and to “winter”.
In our industry, business won’t pick up until the weather warms and the sun comes out. When spring finally arrives it will be all hands on deck, with days that are never long enough and “to do” lists that are never ending. So as January blurs into what looks to be another wet month, we console ourselves by making plans for those busier months and keeping our hands active.
We’ve been sowing vegetable seeds in the greenhouse so we can experience the joy of watching things actively grow. (Nothing is quite as thrilling as the day you peek under the domes and seedlings have poked up through the soil!)
We’ve been designing new workshops for the coming year and enjoying our weekend classes when the craft room is full of exuberance and the comfort that comes from creative gathering.
We’ve been filling the gift shop with beautiful green foliage that helps cheer our souls and then finding joy in helping our customers choose just the right ones to in turn bring them joy. Let’s face it, pretty much everyone enjoys receiving plants or flowers; so we’ve also been working on marketing ideas such as our newest plant bundles that are available for local delivery or pickup.
We work on ordering exciting new product for the gift shop and clear space in the yard for the containers of new pottery that will be arriving shortly. If you’re new to our annual rhythms, “clearing space” in the yard leads to a fabulous Parking Lot Sale that happens annually in late February. Folks line up at the gate at opening time every year to take advantage of 30-70% off savings! Watch for this year’s sale February 17-19.
At the moment of writing this, the sun has just poked through the clouds and is calling to me to grab a coat and head out for a walk. So off I go, but not before encouraging you to give yourself grace if you’re also feeling the wintery blahs. I’d also like to invite you to come take your stroll through the nursery, the greenhouses and the gift shop. Dress for the weather and come get your dose of beauty, fresh air, and a friendly “hello” from your friends at The Secret Garden.
