Our theme for December is CYCLE. It was chosen by our Freiburg chapter in Germany and illustrated by Isabell Meister.

Our Freiburg chapter had sustainability in mind when they chose this theme — from their swarms of cyclists commuting to work to their robust recycling programs that recover and reuse 69% of the city’s waste. 

Our world runs on cycles. There’s the frantic buzz of the 24-hour news cycle. The boom and bust of economic cycles. The changing seasons. Every plant, animal, and organism exists in a life cycle of birth, growth, reproduction, and death. Water flows through a cycle of evaporation into vapor to condensation in clouds to precipitation that falls as rain or snow. The menstrual cycle. The circadian rhythm of our sleep cycle. 

Just as crops are grown on a rotation cycle to replenish the soil, our own creativity requires a cycle of inspiration or inputs, followed by a burst of productivity or entering a flow state, and finally a period of rest or contemplation. 

Cycles are circular and keep things moving. Which cycles are you living in tune with? And which ones are you fighting vainly against?