While spring often arrives in fits and starts, autumn can catch us by surprise. It seeks to get our attention and wake us up from the mesmerizing warmth of the summer months. It bashes down the door like a bear, rather than slipping in quietly like a mouse. Even when we know it is coming, it can still feel like a sneak attack for which we are not prepared.
The changes that autumn brings are heavy in the air today. After several days of record high heat, we have been blessed with clouds. Sitting up here, gazing out from the two story window, I have an amazing view of the sky. There are no buildings or tall trees to obstruct my view. To the northeast, I watch as a large hole, trimmed in pink and orange, slowly grows smaller from the dark clouds consuming it. The darkening sky brings a calming quietude to the day. It feels as though life has slowed down ever so slightly and we can breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
I appreciate the slower pace of autumn. The chatter of busy people and the drone of lawn mowers and motorcycles has let up, for today at least. We are beckoned to come inside, perhaps brew a cup of tea to brace ourselves for the sudden cold. Maybe we will set a pot of soup to bubble on the stove, to mark the change that has arrived.
The first change in the season is somehow the most poignant. Gradually, our bodies and our mental attitudes adjust. Whether we let go reluctantly, or rush to embrace what has arrived, change is the one constant attribute of life. The seasons are our wake-up call. The seasons remind us that we must never allow ourselves to become too comfortable. We can resist what the moment brings and thereby create our own suffering, or we can learn to live fully in the moment. We must not curse the clouds because we never know what good might be waiting just beyond them. We must wake up. We must awaken.
