Immediately after my last final was complete, I drove back home. I left Chicagoland and the larger Wisconsin cities and entered beautiful rural Wisconsin. I was welcomed by the familiar open spaces, farms, trees and sunshine. I easily let go of any lingering stressors, and I was ready for a long break. I was home!

Winter break is always longer compared to the spring and summer breaks, which is excellent! The longer break gave me a great opportunity to drop into the quiet and restorative qualities of the winter season. I spent countless amazing hours not doing anything at all (not even reading)! It felt so good to simply sit down in the winter silence with my napping dog nearby and large snowflakes falling outside the window. That is exactly what I love about the winter.

December has always been a special month for me. I celebrated my birthday, cooked super tasty food, walked in a nearby forest while it snowed, admired the winter night sky, spent time with my family, took my dog to the spa, and had a fun time with my wife roaming around Green Bay.

I got back to campus two days before classes started to unpack and prepare for the new trimester.

Week 1 of classes was wonderful, and it was great to see classmates and professors again. I am looking forward to learning more about botanical medicine and the evaluation and management of various systems of the body (particularly gastrointestinal, which is my favorite topic) this trimester!