Comfort and Creativity: Why we should embrace Winter
As the evenings get darker, it’s so easy to turn off your laptop and then slump. But winter doesn’t have to be suffered as months of feeling low or sluggish as we pine for the sun. Instead, we can embrace it. As poet Edith Sitwell wrote: "Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."
Soft blankets, gentle lighting, warmth and beautiful food picked for delighting the soul can lighten even the direst of dark nights. The Grain Store Lewes is a haven where you can snuggle down for the evening after closing the door on our connected office space. We have built beautiful relationships with a host of local culinary magicians offering home cooked meals from Field Food, The Herb Kitchen and Caccia & Tails, which can be delivered straight to you. Or book a private dining evenings with chef Richard Falk.
But there is also the argument for wrapping up and getting out in the fresh air. Our garden is still green and the weather still temperate. Walks are joyous - though muddy - as we wait for the real cold to come. The bracing air is refreshing and boosts brain activity while strolling in the cold improves circulation at a time when we all feel a little sluggish.
After a day working though, winter is also a time when you can reward your endeavours with a special treat. Knowing that you have something to look forward to can drive productivity. As Raconteur reported, some companies have started rewarding efficiency with time off instead of money. It writes about the five-hour work day proposed by an American entrepreneur called Stephan Aarstol. He reduced his employees’ hours but saw a massive boost in their work output. The time that they “won” to have to themselves meant they worked harder and better.
At The Grain Store Lewes, we have the main living space but also a studio that can be used totally separately. This means that you can work hard and then head out to enjoy something special. The lights of a theatre might beckon, reflected in puddles on the pavement. As the doors open, you’ll feel the warm air and the promise of an evening of thought-provoking dialogue or laughter or music as you sit in jewel-coloured velvet seats. Brighton, Chichester and Worthing all boast glorious theatres and Glyndebourne’s opera offerings are world-renowned. Our nearest town, Lewes, is home to the Depot Cinema, with a beautifully curated offering of films in an architecturally fascinating space.
Winter may be wet, cold and sometimes feels like it goes on forever. But we can choose to embrace it. It is a time when we can explore ideas and work hard on projects we have perhaps neglected over the sunnier months. We spend evenings reading, eating well and sleeping early. It is a time when we can get out and feel the rain on our face, returning with ruddy cheeks and red noses. And it is also a season when we can stop our work for the day, switch off and treat ourselves to some of the incredible cultural offerings Sussex fosters – from hearty meals to shows.
This isn’t just an incentive to get our work done but these experiences expand our minds and warm our hearts. They give our days a wonderful balance. Winter can be a time of recuperation and restoration but also exploration.
