Fall

Fall is upon us. I’ve seen pictures of the trees in the mountains that have already begun to change colors. This summer was so hot so fast I felt a bit overwhelmed by it and pretty unappreciative of the heat. Fall is my favorite time of year. All the beautiful trees and their displays of color, cooler temperatures (that require socks), the chill in the air, walking on crunchy leaves, and of course, FOOTBALL! Go Cowboys! (Even though last week was hideous…we still love ‘em).

Summer brings a faster pace of life with longer days and inevitably later nights. There is so much to do with all that extra daylight. For me fall is a time to slow down and focus on what needs to be done before the winter hibernation.  I feel more clarity in the fall. Fall is also a time of letting go of what we no longer need. The trees shed their leaves and I contemplate what I need to shed. That frequently brings some resistance because I tend not to be a fan of change…mostly.  I look at nature for guidance. Trees shed and grow easily in the cycles of their lives. There is an ebb and flow to their lives and to ours. I look to be in that flow and notice what may be blocking the natural flow in my life. Am I clinging to anything that is pushing me out of my flow? It’s the equivalent of cleaning the gutters on your house…it’s a pain but if it isn’t done then there may be consequences that we don’t like, such as, flooding and damage to our house.

I have included a poem I wrote about my vision of Fall called, Hanging By A Thread.

As I look at the last signs of fall My eye is drawn to you

The last leaf on an oak tree

Hanging on by a thread

Although I often describe myself as hanging on by a thread

I am struck by our differences

I cling and you let go

I resist and you fall freely into the unknown

Connected to your basic “isness”

The energy of the Earth

Not striving to be anything other than you are

Content as you are, until you aren’t

You aren’t afraid of change

You embrace each phase of life

A cycle that is unending

You aren’t devastated by the idea of falling

Fretting over what comes next

You just are

You are there until you’re not

Content with the process that I resist

The process that moves forward whether I like it or not

One last leaf hanging by a thread

Precarious to me

Home for you

(Copyright Karen Raines, 2017.  All rights reserved)