Autumn comes knocking at the door

When the calendar page flips to October, the valley is filled with the brilliant colors of Autumn.The shadow of falling leaves flutters across the pages of our days. A slight respite after the rush of summer activities is welcome. Autumn lets herself in to our lives with a crispness in the air, a fresh perspective and a swirl of golden leaves. As a prelude to winter, Autumn can inspire us to reset, reevaluate and make goals for the coming months. Most folks think of Spring as the time to start new projects, but to me Fall is our cue to think about starting new things, perhaps a next phase that is long overdue. The magic of new beginnings.

Autumn tends to make us nostalgic, remembering images of days long gone. No matter our age, it always feels like a long time ago. In these mental pictures and memories can be clues. Is something missing? Are there old wounds that need healed? Or maybe, we just need more child-like enthusiasm, spontaneity, awe-igniting moments. Look back on your life, take a deep dive into memories for a while, find your gratefulness again.

Emily Bronte in one of her poems wrote, “Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.”

Go for a walk and take it all in while it lasts. This spectacle of change and transformation will soon turn to snow. While strolling the streets and hills, autumn will also invite you into cozy indoor places. Visit art galleries, bookshops, coffee shops filled with tantalizing aromas or opt for a quiet meditation in the mountains and valleys that surround our home. Leave the electronics in the car and sit with friends by a fire, sipping hot cocoa and having deep conversations, or giggling with abandon.

Start a journal. Journalling can be healing. Now is the perfect time to let out whatever holds you back to make room for that new chapter in your life. Leave your worries and headaches on paper, or let that little blinking cursor guide you to confide it all. That blank page is patient and brimming with possibilities. Take it up on it’s offer of a fresh start to your story. Turn over a new leaf (autumnal pun intended).

On your return home, listen to what the old leaves sound like rustling under your feet, save one for your journal page. Listen to their stories about unfulfilled promises, missed opportunities and unspoken words. Pay attention to the quiet lessons like embracing change and unleashing your courage. Start that project, tell that special person how you really feel, embrace love, make that bold, scary move. Autumn gives us back-to-school flashbacks, it ads so much insight and understanding into our year. Could there be a better season for life-long learners?

Autumn nudges us in different, unique directions, whispering to us reassuringly that steady transformation brings with it overwhelming beauty and a wider perspective. Change is the only constant in this life, and this season brings it to us with style. Let this special time of year transform you as well. Now is the moment, take action and place yourself on a path aimed where you want to be.