Wednesday 26 September 2012

Seasonal Transitions

It seems like we are often in some kind of transition or shift from one state to another, from one status to another, from one activity to another, from one stage of life to another or even from one time to another.  Does that all make sense in your own observations and experience?  Maybe it's just my own projection but in the past 12 months, I sense these transitions both externally and internally and I don't think it's just my imagination.  Nothing brings it home to me more clearly than the change in the season, the most recent one being from Summer to Fall, the prologue to Winter.  We just returned from northern Colorado where the Aspens were exquisitely golden, especially at the higher altitudes.  And for the past several days, the pinon burning in the fireplace has elicited one of my favorite aromas of the season. 
One of my own transitions of the year just past is a shift from working full time professionally to working only part time and thus having more time for other things such as travel, writing and other so-called leisure activities.  Previously postponed projects can now receive more attention and energy but I would not call these leisurely pursuits as they require a fair amount of planning, thought and resources including my own involvement.  However, there is certainly more latitude for choosing when and how I wish to work on these things.
I recall times past when Fall was harvest time and "putting up" all kinds of things including food for both animals and families.  Corn and hay were stored in the barn, the shelves in the fruit cellar were filled with jars from orchard and garden and the bounty was celebrated with the cornucopia spilling out prosperity in fruits, flowers and grain.  The Thanksgiving feast and table laden with home-grown goodies of all kinds - meats, vegetables, pastries - was a visual and tasty treat for a family gathering around hearth and home.
Several conversations lately have indicated Fall to be a number of people's favorite season.   I wonder why.  For me it's certainly a time of seeing brilliant colors, the clear light toward the end of the day seeming to light up the stage for nature's show.  It's also a time to review the past and plan for the future and I am not sure why that's any more focused now than at other times but it might be that academic calendar kicking in, the end of the previous year and the beginning of a new one.  I will be involved this coming weekend in exactly that kind of activity with a small group of thoughtful people, reviewing the past, planning for the future.  And in my own case, the same is true personally.  It's a big shift for me and it's taking some time to sink in, all that's implied in this life change and different rhythm of work and play.  It's an exciting time to look ahead, to set a course and to follow the internal compass and where it will lead.  The GPS may well be a handy tool but we will supply the directions, the content and the ultimate destinations.  Onward!  Prorsum et sursum!

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