It is a path I walk almost daily: the same trees are there, the dirt speckled with pebbles that outline my path. Some scattered dandelions insist on showing their yellow blooms defiant against the stones and people treading on them. “We will be seen, and yes, I hear you, I proclaim Fragile little things, they somehow always show up, regardless of the conditions. It is early morning, but I’m a sponge absorbing these observations and lessons.
I did not feel like walking this morning—not sure why. Mercury retrograde has passed, so that is not the reason. I remember my grandmother used to say her bones ached every time the season changed. Is that it? Is the shift from summer to autumn weighing on me?
Summer is physically freeing—no shoes, no jackets, no umbrellas. But as we move into autumn the weather sends mixed signals. Just this week felt like summer returning to make sure we don’t forget the heat as we embrace the last beach days to soak up the sun and salt of the sea
On my path this morning, I noticed the trees. The bright green leaves are changing to a duller green. One flew down to greet me as I walked. I noticed the yellow and gold colors creeping onto the leaf, its edges drying and curling inward. Yes, these are the signs we are moving into autumn.
September starts slow and eventually picks up momentum. By the time autumn is aound the corner, I hesitate; I resist moving forward into the active energy of fall. Maybe change is sometimes slow to take hold of us. Maybe change is like a muscle that is in constant need of exercise. Training our muscles seems like hard work, but on further reflection, maybe it all comes down to an attitude, more than anything: To embrace change, or not?
The wise often say that change is the only constant. A continuous succession of movement that propels us through our lives and shapes all that we do. Change—and our ability to change—is central to our lives. Developing an attitude of embracing change is a wonderful skill, a muscle to exercise and develop.
Thankfully, an autumn leaf fell on me as I was walking this morning. It triggered a lot of thought and insights about this month, this season, and change at large.
Returning home, I placed the dry leaves I’d collected into a mug. “Hello, September! I’m ready for you.”
As I think of my grandmother, I know she is smiling now. Perhaps, in my embrace of change, I’ve also managed to oil her joints.
Doris Muna
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