"Autumn is nature beginning to blush before stripping her leaves, leaving herself exposed and vulnerable when the chill air creeps in."
Early morning approaches and by habit I begin to wake, stretching until my palms are flat against the wall above my head. The sun is just beginning to peek over the horizon and light up the sky with early morning shades of yellow, orange, and a brilliant blue. I step out of bed and pull on extra clothing, knowing that a morning walk is fresh on my mind and telling myself that breakfast can wait. When outside, I pull my jacket close around me and walk with leaves crunching beneath my feet.
I am slapped across the face with a sudden realization that Autumn gives us lessons we can learn from. Unfortunately, these lessons can be hard to see because of our busy lives or because of the ignorance that is all around us. I decide that the first lesson has to be to accept change. Just as the leaves turn so do our crazy lives; many times there is nothing we can do to prevent or alter the change. This thought makes my heart ache for all my friends and family and the people who are struggling at this very moment. However, with every pain, I know there is also something good. God uses moments like these to draw us nearer to him and to mold us into a greater person. We can have a negative or bad attitude about it but where does that get us? I know the answer is, 'nowhere' but instead into more negativity and/or depression. How do you say that to someone struggling, though? Is this something they have to realize on their own or do you try and help them see?
I turn the corner and pass a small cafe where I can smell the coffee and pumpkin pouring from the door as a customer leaves. There is still a patch of fog here in the city that the sun hasn't yet, burned away. From here my thoughts flow to Autumn's second lesson- finding beauty in the change.. At this point in the year, we no longer have Summer, to spend nights out in tank tops and shorts, to go swimming in the lake or the ocean, or to get to enjoy our time away from school. We say goodbye to pleasures and things that made us happy at the time and now have to find something new to substitute. Switching one pleasure for another like a broken toy, but I understand that this is life. It's not healthy to stay stuck in a hole so l tell myself that to further ourselves and help us move on, we'll find joy and happiness; even if it's in the simplest and smallest of things.
I have walked another block or two by this time and the sun is a bit more higher and shining in between the buildings. It's rays warm my rosey cheeks and nose and I am not longer as chilled as when I left. I decide now is the time for some food but not without one last lesson from Autumn. Adapting. It is rough getting use to the crispness and brisk air that descends on us as we adjust and make changes for Autumn. It takes only a short time but we are stricken with the change at first. It is similar in life, to take a challenging moment and try to feel normal again. When it happens, depending on the degree of the difficult moment, we feel a mixture of emotions or all of them at once. It takes a few arrangements in our own life to get back on track but we can accomplish adapting to the new way, whatever it may be. Just remember that you are never alone and the feelings you may be feeling have been similarly felt by someone, somewhere else. Keep your head up, look towards the light and take comfort in knowing that God is always within a milliseconds thought. ♥