Seasonal Intelligence: A Field Guide for Reconnecting with What Grounds You
Tired, Wired, and Out of Sync? Your Body Might Be Asking for This
[Pro tip: Stick around for the PS at the bottom.]
This morning, at 6:54am, I stood beneath a blooming cherry tree on the UW Quad, drone in hand, chasing a feeling I couldn’t quite name.
Last year, some early risers I was chatting with shared drone footage of peak bloom, and it stuck with me how cool it was. So the hubs and I invested in our own drone. It’s mostly collected dust—until today. After a quick troubleshooting session, I got it airborne and tried to trace a horseshoe pattern through the blossoms.
The footage? Fine. My current skill level leaves me plenty of upside.
The experience? Everything.
This joy—this moment of seasonal grounding—reminded me of something I talked about last week with Susan J. Tweit, the plant biologist behind Practicing Terraphilia.
Susan’s decades in the field, including being a field scientist for the US Forest Service, taught her that our connection to the natural world isn’t poetic—it’s primal. For many, it’s life-saving.
“Without this bond we are lonely, lacking, no longer whole.” — Susan Tweit
That perspective changed the direction of this week’s piece.
The Rhythm Beneath Everything
I grew up in the Northeast, where seasons hit you like a baseball bat. Winter doesn’t arrive—it descends. Summers are sticky, winters brutal, and fall? Fall is a fireworks display of color and crispness. It was always my favorite.
The Pacific Northwest plays a different tune. Seasons here whisper. But they’re no less powerful—if you’re paying attention.
After 22+ years here, I’ve found my own seasonal anchors:
• Mid-March cherry blossoms that remind me the days are getting longer
• The arrival of ramps at the market in mid-April (IYKYK)
That perfect mid-May window when you can drive to Hurricane Ridge without chains but still see snow-capped Olympics stretching in every direction
Fall means checking if the Yankees are making a postseason run (or these days, praying the Giants don't completely choke by October 1st)
Getting in those crisp morning hikes so we can come home and spend the afternoon doing low and slow braises for Sunday dinner
These aren’t just moments—they’re markers. They keep me connected to what matters: the people I love, the rituals that restore me, and the version of myself I want to stay connected to.
The Body Remembers What the Mind Forgets
Ignore the seasons too long and something starts to feel… off.
My sleep suffers. My energy drops. My mood sways.
Dr. Debbie Sumner told us in last week’s conversation, “All sensations, whether structurally caused or not, are actually generated by the brain.” And that includes our internal sense of time.
We weren’t built for a flattened, always-on calendar.
But nature’s still running the original operating system.
And our bodies—deep down—remember.
Movement Reconnects Us
Walking under cherry blossoms isn’t about taking the perfect photo. It’s about the scent, the sound, the feel of spring.
Hiking Hurricane Ridge isn’t about getting to the top (well, it kinda is). But it’s equally about the air in your lungs, the ground beneath your feet, the neural pathways lighting up as your body remembers it belongs here.
This is Seasonal Intelligence—and it’s more than poetic. It’s practical.
Simple Ways to Reconnect
You don’t need to go off-grid to feel grounded. Start small:
Take a different route home just to notice what’s blooming
Buy whatever vegetable is actually in season at your farmers market
Stand under a tree and feel the breeze at lunch (just avoid any falling fruit!)
The action doesn’t matter. The noticing does.
Three Ways to Build Your Seasonal Intelligence
1. Weekly seasonal check-in
Every Sunday, spend 10 minutes noticing what’s changed. Jot down 3 things in your Notes app.
2. Create one seasonal ritual per season
Make it sensory. For spring, try placing fresh flowers where you’ll smell them first thing in the morning.
3. Walk one route consistently
Pick a 10-minute route. Walk it weekly. Let your brain register the transitions.
🪧 Ready to Go Deeper?
If you’ve been feeling that quiet drift—tired but wired, overwhelmed but under-inspired—this spring, I’m diving into a deeper idea:
Seasonal Intelligence as a way to realign your full self.
Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, even financially.
Nature’s rhythm isn’t just poetic—it’s practical. And when you learn to live in sync with it, everything starts to shift:
Energy levels stabilize
Habits feel more natural, not forced
Financial decisions get clearer
Work and rest find their rightful balance
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing:
Full-length essays and conversations on how others navigating modern life through their challenges
Conversations with experts in mental health, finance, and physical health
Practical tools and rituals to apply this thinking in your real, busy life
What’s your seasonal anchor?
When was the last time you gave yourself permission to experience it fully?
The season is changing. Can you feel it?
We’re going to be changing things up on these pages soon.
To be a part of the full ride, you’re going to want to upgrade your subscription if you’re not already a paid member.
PS — We were in NYC last week to visit family and friends. I finally saw “Wicked”. As someone who grew up going to Broadway, thanks to my mom, it is a top 5 show (and I have seen a lot of shows - many of which have been excellent). I would pay top dollar to take the hubs or go with anyone else who hasn’t seen it.
I was already blown away and then they did the curtain calls at the end. The two main characters up there together unexpectedly brought me to tears. I can’t remember if this has happened before. I have no idea why but I just embraced the rarity of it just understanding that my body experienced something magical.
As I say to my clients on a regular basis, take the win. So I did.
I love this whole post--it's so terriphilic! Thank you, Jill. I'm going to quote your seasonal intelligence idea in my Tool Swap post tomorrow.