… the falling away of all that no longer needs to stay.
I recall the day I drove up the driveway of my new country abode, to be greeted with this view. The fluttering of the last autumn leaves was creating a wet sludge underfoot. Like the shedding leaves, my cloak of identities was falling away, I was being stripped bare of all that had been familiar.
I unpacked my belongings as winter arrived. Soon it was spring, new leaf buds appeared and the tree grew skywards again. So it was with my life. All that fell away decomposed to prepare for the next season of growth.
During autumn (fall for some northern neighbours), a deciduous tree will display a show of spectacular red/pink/yellow/orange, etc. However, what appears as colourful beauty is, in reality, the unmasked process of a death sentence. The leaf’s life source has been shut down, the tree is preparing for a seasonal change. Deciduous means: falling off at maturity.
Hmm … how could you view the seasons of your life differently with this understanding of the interim season between summer and winter?
Sometimes, we want to hold onto the remnants of autumn beauty that we observe in a changing relationship, in a job that no longer fulfils us or in a lifestyle that limits us — we resist a winter ending and deprive ourselves of a spring beginning.
Is it time for you to shed an unhealthy attachment to a person, work environment, home location, or lifestyle?
But, what does it mean to let it fall? Yes, it may first disintegrate into smelly brown sludge — and then the magic begins! Decomposers actively break down the leaf debris, returning nutrients to the soil. As the tree rejuvenates during the winter months the cycle of new growth and beginnings is already underway. A tree never worries that there won’t be a spring after winter. So, the same can be for us, following loss and change — rejuvenation always awaits us.
Let the beauty of autumn colour herald a positive change of what needs to fall away from your life
Where you are positioned in the world will impact how you need to navigate seasonal conditions, leading into winter. Some countries experience more extreme change.
Where you are currently positioned in life will impact how you need to navigate the autumn season of ‘falling off at maturity.’ If you are experiencing extreme change, be kind to yourself and acknowledge what you need
I now view decisions and experiences differently when life events, like autumn leaves, change colour and no longer stay attached to my world. AND, there are also people, and experiences that remain consistent — as the evergreen trees behind my home, and the sun that rises every morning.
Living … its an adventure of a lifetime
Trish
https://www.facebook.com/lifecoachingwithTrish
trishbeauchamp.com
