The Reasons for Seasons.
Most of us love changing seasons.
We may despise winter. Adore summer. Admire fall. Cherish spring.
But whatever our preference, there is a certain charm that comes with the changing seasons. It nourishes our soul. Wakes us up to new possibilities. Invites us to changing imagery.
For me, the seasons are nature’s way of reminding us to check in with ourselves and see our progress during each quarter of the year.
A reminder to live life now and not as a dress rehearsal — too caught up in what tomorrow may hold.
So every time we usher in a new season here are a few things to keep in mind.
Everything always changes.
Changing seasons are a reminder that nothing in life except change is constant. Whether you are ready or not, the fall colours arrive, the leaves fall and the warm summer breeze becomes a fragment of our imagination.
The flowers will die, the trees will become bare, some trees will be there next year, others will die. Nothing is ever exactly the same.
Enjoy what you have today, exactly as it is.
Seasons are an ideal time to realign, restore and reconnect with our inner beings. What were your goals this summer? Did you achieve them? What is your new challenge for fall? Where will you be this time next year? What will that look like?
“You can’t stop the future
You can’t rewind the past
The only way to learn the secret
…is to press play.”
― Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why
Accept and Embrace.
For most people, the arrival of winter spells misery.
We are cold. It snows. It hails. It rains. We dress in a million layers. Oh the hassle!
But as with anything in life, we have to learn to accept even that which we do not enjoy. Resistance does not serve us. How can we enjoy a season we don’t enjoy? Maybe we sit by the fireplace everyday. We do more indoor activities. We enjoy seeing movies in the cinema. We accept and embrace what we don’t have time to do in another season.
Same goes for how we embrace our life. If we accept what is hard, work through it and keep going forward, we come out stronger.
“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining, is to let it rain.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Practice Gratitude.
Seeing snow at Christmas or sipping on Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the fall are all the small pleasures we look forward to every year. They are what makes the seasons special. Take time to practice gratitude for the little things unique to every season of life. The lights of December, the blooms of April and the beaches in June. Each offering their own unique flavour.
As seasons change it calls for our attention to be drawn to the environment around us. The trees that give us oxygen to breathe, the sun that brings life to the planet, all without which we would not be alive.
“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” — Henry Ward Beecher
So as you stroll through this autumn, kicking around the leaves, just look around, finding things you’re grateful for, remembering each fleeting moment and accept the beauty in all that is.
