Embracing Change: Nature's Autumn Invitation
"Bless it and release it."
I sat with the words for a moment before I let out a big sigh.
The open-hearted woman smiling at me through the virtual Zoom screen gently closed her eyes as she shook her head. "I know it's not always easy. But letting go is how we grow."
We were just finishing up a coaching session, and she knew that this season of bloom I had been in for some time needed to give way to some rest. I hadn't stopped much in the past year and a half - mostly only to catch my breath - but in order to continue moving forward in a way that was sustainable, I had to make some choices.
Change was in the air.
It's a paradox to be sure. In order to change, we have to become something else. Obvious on one hand, but difficult, challenging, and sometimes painful on the other. Often I wish things didn't have to change (at least not so often). But I'm reminded of the wise words of the 13th century poet, Rumi:
Your hand opens and closes, and opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birds' wings. -Rumi
Even the deepest presence - and in moments of quiet stillness - there is still sound, movement, and shift. This balance is an inevitable part of life, and one cannot exist without the other. As I've found time and time again, reminders, inspiration, and wisdom can often be found in unexpected places, and no time is more evident than in the Autumn.
Here are three important reminders that nature offers us an invitation to explore:
Nothing Stays the Same: Impermanence is one of nature's most obvious lessons, and change is really the only constant. I grew up in the Midwest, so the seasonal shifts marked many passages of life. But season to season, and year upon year, things continued to change. Rather than clinging to the past, the knowledge that things will change allows us to practice the art of letting go - and important part of allowing (and embracing) change.
Changing with Grace: What if change could be graceful? As I look outside at the leaves, I reflect on the fact that they have their glorious moments of color before they fall - displays so rich that they attract visitors from near and far to appreciate their splendor. The leaves don't fight this shift. Rather, they lean into the beauty that comes as they live out their calling. At their moment of release, imagine their final adventure as they are whisked around by the wind before landing on the ground. Imagine that great adventure!
Reflect with Gratitude: As the season of abundance is harvested, it's an apt time for reflection, and presents a meaningful opportunity to give thanks. How have the past seasons of your life served you? What gifts have been harvested? How can you creatively use these resources to create something new? The possibilities are endless if we learn to appreciate all the ways that we have grown and meet the call for our next layer to be revealed.
How will you respond to nature's Autumn invitation? Nature is a shining example of living out the cycles of renewal, growth and change. There are seasons for seed, planting, harvesting, and preparing. The landscape constantly shifts, but every so often, we find moments of balance - illuminated in the interplay of day and night. At the equinox, light and dark harmonize for a moment before they shift and switch places, reflecting the cycles of nature and growth. It's a dance, one that holds space for us to find gratitude for the past and inspiration for the future as we prepare for new beginnings.
We always have a choice. We can sit in fear and resistance, or orient ourselves toward the opportunities that still lie ahead. As I took a walk this afternoon, I welcomed the chill of the wind that brushed my skin and noticed the leaves that had already begun to release their hold from the trees.
Yes, the days will get longer. I'll need to pull out warmer clothing and start preparing for winter, which is an inevitable stop on the journey ahead. But not quite yet. I walked along, remembering that in this season, there is an open invitation to leave what no longer serves me, blessing and releasing it to its next great adventure.
In truth, letting go is how we grow.