Seasons CHANGE

I’ve always liked summer best. I’ve never liked change.

But am I the only one who feels it in the air this year?

Seasons . . . change. Change is GOOD. Flipping the calendar from August to September felt like tossing confetti at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

And along with a giant X through August, I’ve decided to remove the words “always” and “never” from my vocabulary. Thank you, Summer 2021.

I started writing this in my head more than a month ago (anybody else pen the best writings in their minds?). I re-wrote it in my head with tears in my eyes on a favorite early morning run last weekend.

I came home and scribbled some notes so I wouldn’t forget.

Seasons CHANGE.

This summer felt much different than any summer I can recall. Not only did the intense heat scorch my dream garden, it burned a lot of ideas and plans, and forced a lot of redirection in my life. It caused me to think critically about how I present myself (or “show up” if you prefer that phrasing) to my family, friends, and to myself. It also pushed me to analyze how others do the same for me.

I looked at growth, literally and figuratively, with a new set of glasses.

I thought a lot about aging. Chapters closing. Door shutting . . . and windows opening. New horizons!

I took note for next year. I learned. I grew . . . even if many of my plants did not. Other things flourished. There were many surprises. Glimmers of hope and excitement and things to come.

Here are some of the pearls I jotted down:

Sometimes leaving things alone is exactly what’s needed.

You will get burned. Even with the best of intentions, the most well-thought plans. You. Will. Get. Burned.

Everything is a season.

Everyone and everything deserves a second chance. When it comes time for a third chance, think critically and trust your gut.

Nature versus nurture.

Inspiration and motivation are unpredictable but also contagious.

Oregon raspberries have two seasons, so if the first crop doesn’t thrive, there’s always hope for the second.

“You take the good, you take the bad. You take them both and there you have the facts of life.”

Stay on the sunny side.

Just because you’ve done something one way doesn’t mean it’s the only way.

Always find time for the things that make you feel happy to be alive. (I know I said I wouldn’t use the word “always,” but maybe this is one of those I before E except after C moments.)

Pick up the phone. Write the letter. Send the text. (Always find time for the PEOPLE who make you feel happy to be alive.)

Keep planting the seeds.

Embrace change.

Maybe this is my mental notes on paper or maybe it speaks to you, too. Regardless, it does feel good to send out a thought or story to the universe.

I’m looking forward to autumn. I’m embracing and anticipating change.