Seasons teach that usefulness can change without value disappearing.

The bare tree in winter is not less valuable than the same tree in fruit. It has moved into a different part of its cycle, doing different work. We tend to equate worth with current output, which makes any pause feel like decline.

If you are in a period of reduced usefulness, from illness or exhaustion or circumstance, try separating what you produce from what you are worth. That distinction is easy to say and hard to hold, and it is worth practicing before you need it.