Autumn

Ponderings....the title of my blog is quite fitting. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately - about lots of stuff. I am a thinking, an analyzer, a ponderer; I ruminate on things (for better or for worse). And you probably know by now that I find comfort in quotes & writings.

Awhile ago I found Parker J. Palmer's writing "Seasons." Parker Palmer is an author, educator & activist who focuses on social change, community & spirituality. In his writing "Seasons", he reflects on nature, the changing of the seasons, and makes it a metaphor for life.

"The notion that our lives are like the eternal cycle of the seasons does not deny the struggle or the joy, the loss or the gain, the darkness or the light, but encourages us to embrace it all - and to find in all of it opportunities for growth."

He goes on to write about each of the seasons. The season of Autumn is a paradox: scattering seeds that will bring new growth in the spring in contrast with the death of winter. So it's a powerful metaphor to me. Things ending, things starting. Fall comes, kids are back in school, the summer is over, carefree days are gone, days are shorter, people are busy, the weather gets cooler, things seem more "serious."

"Living is hidden with dying." It's a natural thing - the earth has to go through winter in order for spring to come. One can't happen without the other. In life, some things have to end in order for new opportunities, new ways, new habits to come. So I'm working on letting go of some old ways in order to learn new things and develop deeper relationships with the people I care about.

Autumn is such a beautiful season. It's one of my favorites. My birthday is in the Fall. I love the cooler weather, football season, the color of the trees, fixing comfort foods, the clear blue skies, wearing my Birk's, the low humidity (which does wonders for my hair!)... Autumn is preparing for Winter, which is preparing for Spring, which is preparing for Summer, which is preparing for Autumn... So I will work on preparing my life for the Winter (the "death" of old ways) so that Spring can come and I will be a better person.