At the Threshold: Honoring the Solstice, Darkness, and Life Transitions
There are moments in the year that ask us to slow down and listen more deeply.
The solstice is one of those moments.
Recently, our women’s vanlife community gathered on Zoom to honor this turning point—and what emerged was exactly what this season invites: presence, acceptance, and shared wisdom.
For many women navigating life transitions—retirement, career changes, divorce, or stepping into vanlife—the solstice offers a powerful pause.
Many Women, Many Seasons
On the call were women without vans, women living part-time on the road, and women fully immersed in vanlife. Some are newly retired. Some are changing careers. Some are releasing long-held roles as parents, partners, or homeowners. Some are learning how to live alone in a way they never have before.
Different paths. Different timelines.
Yet—so much shared experience.
This is what happens when women gather with intention.
The Solstice: When Darkness Teaches
The solstice marks one of nature’s pause points—the longest night or the longest day of the year. It gently reminds us that light and darkness are not something to resist or rush through, but natural partners in an ever-changing cycle.
As vanlifers, we feel this rhythm intimately. We notice the way the days shorten, the nights stretch, the land invites us inward. The solstice whispers what many of us already know in our bodies: nothing stays the same forever.
During our meditation, we explored the idea that our darkness is not something to bypass. It is a place of rest. Of renewal. Of deep listening.
Sometimes, we must sit in the dark long enough for the light to find us again.
Releasing Control, Trusting the Unfolding
One of the strongest themes that emerged was letting go of control.
For many women, control has been a survival skill. Planning, managing, holding everything together. Releasing that grip can feel unsettling—and yet, when we soften our hold, life often surprises us.
With releasing control comes space.
With space comes unfolding.
And in that unfolding, a more beautiful story can emerge than anything we could have planned.
We also spoke about expectations—how easily they turn into disappointment, and how quickly disappointment turns inward. The familiar chorus of shoulds arises.
I should be doing more.
I should be further along.
I should have this figured out by now.
And beneath all those shoulds is a quiet, painful belief that many relate to: “I am not enough.”
Naming this together was powerful.
Redefining Self-Care as What Brings Light
From there, the conversation gently shifted—not toward fixing, but toward nourishing. Toward bringing in what we desire.
Self-care came up again and again—but not as another obligation. Instead, we spoke about self-care as what brings light back into the body.
Watching the sunset and taking photos.
Creating something just because it feels good.
Time in nature.
Moments of stillness.
Laughter around a shared experience.
These are things light us up. That is self-care.
Vanlife offers this kind of accessibility—grounding, simplicity, and connection with the natural world. And we reminded one another that self-care is not selfish. It is how we stay open-hearted and available for connection.
We also acknowledged that community itself is a form of self-care. Being witnessed. Being supported. Being reminded that we don’t have to be in this season alone.
Standing at the Threshold
The solstice places us at a threshold—the space between what has been and what is beginning. It invites us to release what no longer serves us and to trust what is quietly taking shape.
This darker season is not something to rush through. It is a time of rest, renewal, grounding, and deep inner wisdom. A time to adventure inward.
For women in transition, honoring the solstice can be a reminder that growth doesn’t always look like action—sometimes it looks like rest.
Even when the darkness feels uncomfortable, it is still just a season.
The light—steady, patient, inevitable—will return.
Remember this.
Adventure In~
Amy
If you’re navigating a life transition and longing for community check out our vanlife collective here and on Facebook: Adventure Together: A W
