We Are Nature

There is a shift in the air, I can sense the slowing down and notice the leaves in my neighbor's trees already turned and falling. I never feel fully prepared for autumn, it creeps up suddenly in a blur and all the sudden there are new schedules and a downward trend in energy.

I am already feeling the urge to hunker down, to go within. I resist because there are so many things to do, people to see, stuff to create.

And yet, the wind blows southeasterly and I'm called deeper within my dream state, more and more into myself and into the inner work.

This is natural, I think. I long to embrace the shift without too much resistance or woe. I don't have to be sad about what's coming, even though that's been a habit - pre-winter anxiety. Which is ironic to think about as we've had horrid heat waves the last couple days and there is no hint of chill in the air.

But we are nature and I can surrender to the inner slow down, even if the outer world doesn't take a break. I can be gentle with myself for lingering a while longer in my bed as the sun takes its time to rise. I can find ways to invite in the quiet, in between zoom meetings and mentoring. I can honor the space between knowing and doing, understanding that it's holding and guiding me to a softer experience.

When the seasons turn, do you? Can you feel how we are connected to the rhythms of this world? The more I understand this, the better equipped I am to follow the ebbs and flows with wonder, instead of woe.

May you also greet the day with compassion. Take a breath. Be still a moment longer, and then walk into the next moment more centered and ready. You've got this. You are brave, every day.