A Time to Fall.
Living in a somewhat rural area, you get to see things that you probably don’t see in the city. One of those is the never ending cycle of growth and harvesting of the many different crops that are farmed.
There’s something comforting a reassuring about watching corn, or mint, or potatoes sprouting, reaching maturity, being harvested, and then seeing the field covered with snow and ice in the winter.
The relentlessness of nature is reassuring, or to quote a phrase from my younger son’s favorite film franchise…
“Life finds a way”.
But I find myself drawn to the lesson of the changing of the seasons. This last week I have seen those changes in others, and in myself.
The passing of a wonderful friend, young in spirit although older in years, teaches me the lesson that although time can seem infinite in the moment, there will come a time for all of us to reflect, and move on to whatever awaits us. This lesson teaches me that I should value every day, and make use of it in any way I can.
For my dear friend, this season has come to an end.
Another good friend and her husband are about to enter the “empty nester” season of their life, which is full of blessings and challenges. A reduced energy and food bill, a cleaner house and more peace and quiet are juxtaposed against a possible sense of loneliness, a loss of purpose, and a transition in their relationship as their children move into a new season in their lives.
The lesson is that relationships change, and we need to honor those changes rather than fighting against them.
A coaching client is moving into a different season in her life, as she contemplates the transition into a relationship that could bring her incredible joy, or possibly change a friendship that has been a staple of her life for many, many years.
I think she has realized that she has to make a decision of which season to enter, and although the choice will could be one of the most defining ones of her life, it is not without risk, or fear.
And the lesson is that sometimes we can choose our seasons, and sometimes we must make the choice even though it scares us.
And as for me, I am moving into another season myself.
For almost 3 years I have been trying to find a direction of focus, a decision of purpose, that has eluded me every time I have tried to find it. I have struggled, been frustrated, felt lost, and sometimes very dispirited, feeling that I had to transition into the next season, the next evolution of me in order to find the peace and happiness I have desired, but not knowing what that evolution was supposed to be.
Until now.
I won’t talk about it just yet, because the idea, and the season, is very young, and I’m protecting the fragile seed as it grows, but I think the next season of my life, and my purpose, is finally upon me.
Part terrifying, part exhilarating, this evolution brings with it an incredible chance to meld together so many disparate loose ends into a thread that hopefully will be the resulting definition of my life, and allow me the opportunity to impact and serve in a way that is both meaningful, and humbling.
The lesson of this season is that you always have to keep searching for what it is that you feel like you were born to do.
And then do it, as hard and as powerfully as you can.
Because one day, we will all enter the final season, and hopefully we can do so having lived our lives to the fullest, and touched so many hearts along the way.
— Dr. Alan Barnes
@maddrbmusings