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Dear friends,
I’m writing this on a rainy cold afternoon, and I can’t say I am looking forward to the gray days and long nights ahead. Just as I typed that last sentence, a hummingbird visited the feeder outside my window and reminded me that there is color and liveliness in every season. So, onward with optimism!
2025 was a lot for everyone, and we are all still exhausted. I know I am not the only one who found it hard to motivate at work this past year. I felt like I was dragging more every month. For my team, the year ends with a big push- we have been hosting the small and mighty PRISM conference every December for the past ten years. Even though we had a terrific day planned, I wasn’t sure I had enough left in the tank to pull it off. I was daydreaming about rest, and my brain was moving slowly.
I found that, more than ever before, bringing people together and listening to work that is far outside my expertise gave me back my spark. We did commiserate about funding challenges and changing federal priorities, but we also engaged with new and interesting work. I haven’t had energy to generate new ideas, let alone try them out. Immersing myself in a day of cool science recharged me in a way that I don’t think resting or disconnecting would have. The conference experience reminded me that we need both inspiration and rest to produce motivation.
We can reframe the cold and dark of winter as a time for inspiration and intellectual re-engagement as well as rest, and you don’t have to host a conference – or even attend one- to get there. An in-depth conversation with a colleague about their science- not logistics or funding woes or institutional politics- might be just what you need. Could that even be a new year’s resolution? Try it and let me know how it goes!
As always, I love to hear from you. Please share widely, as usual, and let others know they can sign up here.
Warmly,
Urmimala