The door opened to sunshine glistening upon the grass, and a chill in the air. The crisp breeze reminded me of the end of Autumn, when the winds start to whip the leaves off the trees in a dance of frenzy. Right now, the leaves are slow to change. They still linger, green and held tightly to the branches. It is as if they too, feel the need to linger a bit more at the side of a loved one passing to the other side.
An occasional leaf will flutter to the ground, dressed in their finest cloak of red, yellow, or brown. My gaze lingers on the one in front of me, and I ponder its short life. Together, all the leaves give us shade from the hot, humid sun, and they shelter many a bird or squirrel in the evenings. My eyes catch another leaf as it drifts, curious as to why they are not shifting all at once. Maybe our lingering fall wanted to comfort us with colors when life became unbearable.
As you notice, the seasons come and go, life moves forward often faster than if we noticed every change. Life is meant to do this, and so it does. If we rush through life, barely stopping to see the leaves fall or the flowers bloom, we miss a chapter of the book of life. The redundancy of the seasons almost make life boring, etching in repeating itself without cause.
Instead, each leaf, flower, or blade of grass tells a story. The stories are there for us to listen to, observe, and gather strength from so when our season comes to an end, we will have lived life fully.
Yesterday, we put a long-loved family pet to sleep. She lived almost 14 years in our world. I remember the day she came to us. My friend opened her car door, and took the little white fluff out. She handed her to me and I laughed. Her little black nose and eyes were so adorable. I couldn’t believe we were so blessed to have this little angel in our lives.
She became the household baby and everyone loved her. When my daughters, son, and I moved away, Peppermint became my daughter’s best friend. Pepper wouldn’t leave her side and became defensive if she caught wind of Mariah leaving to visit her dad. We’d laugh, and yet Pepper held the grudge for a day or two before acting as if nothing had happened.
Pepper provided our home with several puppies who found happy ever after families. Our little Phoebe is her first litter runt pup who we saved and raised. She is my shadow. Even now, she rests on the chair next to me as I share these precious words.
Much like a family pet, people come into our lives, sometimes for a season. When we know when to let go, we open opportunity to move past the struggles and embrace the open possibilities.
. . .
Yesterday is gone
While we cannot change yesterday’s leaves, we can embrace and strengthen today’s growth inside of ourselves. While the leaves linger on the trees, we too can linger on what it is we have going right and what we might do to keep progressing toward a goal, dream, or life pattern.
The typical life of a leave starts with a tiny bud, moves toward a tiny copy of a leaf, and then the leaf begins to grow in size until it is then ready to drop off. Every leaf tells a story. The beginning, the middle, the end until the life of the tree itself is removed.
What gives you hope or feeds your soul? Much like the leaf, who needs the deep roots of faith to provide nutrients and water, we need deeper connections to something bigger than ourselves.
What happens to the times when we do not connect, and let our lives linger into the Autumn of our lives? Often, we wander around aimless, filling our lives up with the busyness of adventure, with no connection to a higher power or the beauty of life.
While it is not much, there is one thing I keep in mind when the leaves begin to fall. I linger a bit longer among the leaves. We have to follow the tree’s example, let the old leaves go and allow the new to prepare to show up.
When you let the old go, no matter how much you cherished them, you begin to open up to new ideas, dreams, and hopes.
. . .
The seasons
The seasons are much like life, if we think of them in quadrants. Each one enters and then leaves. They have a method to the changes, and we have steps to take to build the the bridge between each season.
- Winter: the world is cold, darker, and empty of activity most of the time. People who love winter tend to become more active, and enjoy the snows, rains, or other blustery events. Winter also is a time of deep sleep. Roots, deep in the ground, hold valuable sources of nutrients. The trees, plants, and other life forms hold steady against winds of strife.
We know when to retreat and heal the inner person during dark days.
- Spring: Brings us back to life. The juices flow back into the plants and begin to build energy to burst back into life. Buds and leaves begin to show up and trees start to appear greenish. Soon, the leaves open up and little miniatures welcome the sunshine.
We spring to life when we meet goals and build dreams.
- Summer: Warmth, full heat burns through the clouds and flowers start to bloom. Every bloom and branch sends new beautiful happiness to the earth. The heat of the day sends many inside to air conditioning or to the rivers, lakes, or ocean to enjoy the water. Water seems to connect to summer like roses to the bushes they grow upon.
We blossom when we set out to bring joy like flowers to our daily lives.
- Autumn: The leaves to fall. The flowers cease growing. The trees retreat into dormancy, and the branches become barren, slowly, as each leaf drops. This season brings warm days and cooler nights. Chilly winds, and brisk mornings. Fall reminds me of the balance of life.
We thrive when we keep balance between career, family, and self.
. . .
If you take each of the ideas from the seasons, you’ll find your life filled with positive changes. Every day is an opportunity to learn from the time of year you inhabit. Look around you, see if you can find the connection between now and your future. When you look, with genuine interest, you will find.
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This post was previously published on Curious.
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Photo credit: Pixabay
