Trips to the beach.
Lounging in a recliner, taking in the sun.
Rising at dawn and winding down at dusk.
Planting a seed.
Gathering the harvest.
Building up reserves while things are plentiful – in preparation for when they’re not.
Resting.
Reflecting.
Planning what comes next.
Sitting by the fire while a storm rages outside.
Watching the last leaves fall from a tree that was lush with life just a few weeks before.
Each of these images conjures up an impression of its own.
None of them are anchored to a specific point in time. But just from the way they’re described, we can feel what they relate to.
Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter.
The seasons change, and so do we.
Our behaviour changes.
Our desires change.
Our experience changes.
This isn’t something to fear or to resist.
To resist is to deny what is in favour what isn’t – to project requirements onto a world that remains staunchly unchanged, no matter how we grit our teeth and wish that things were different.
Things are as they are. The seasons change. But just as surely as summer gives way to autumn, and autumn to winter… Spring will come again.
Life returns.
The days grow brighter.
Our experience takes on a new form. One that’s as familiar as it always has been – a well-rehearsed routine we get better and better at with the passage of time.
While we wait for the change, we might as well embrace whatever this season has to offer.
Denial distracts us from what’s hiding in plain sight.
Acceptance frees us to enjoy the experience unfolding before us… And to appreciate it on its own terms.