All summer long, our landscaping team has been putting in long days. We wake up early and make the most of the daylight hours. Whether it’s sunny, rainy, extremely hot, or wildly windy, we push, dig, and shovel our way through every day’s to-do list. We love to work in the great outdoors with our amazing team, but as the busy season draws to a close and the colder months come around, we look to Mother Nature to guide us on how to spend our time. The season of autumn means a different pace for our hearts, minds and bodies.
Next time you sit outside or take a walk through nature, take it in through your senses. Look up at the sky, at the moon, at the brilliant orange, red and chartreuse treetops. Inhale the scent of damp soil, wood softened by fallen leaves, past-summer wildflower seed heads, and perfumy fir needles. Feel the chilly breeze on your face, the strong current in the stream, and the brush of warm-hued grasses. Hear the birds chattering to each other, talking about the places they will stop as they migrate south for a fabulous, warm vacation. Taste the first flake of snow as winter creeps over to your neighborhood. Embrace the season you’re in at this very moment.
What is fall trying to teach you? Nature has a way of speaking right to us, if we can simply be open to its messages. The creatures are scurrying around, some storing food for the winter while others prepare to migrate. We should take a clue from them and visit a local u-pick farm, harvesting fresh produce and making pots of steaming, nourishing soup. Can some peaches, make pies; prepare for the winter!
The vibrant leaves are letting go of their tree homes and falling to the earth, dying and being recycled through the harmonious ecosystem to be rebirthed once again. We see countless examples of chapters ending, making way for new ones. This is nature’s farewell, the Grand Finale of the year; the great Nap. What are we carrying that needs to be released? Let go of what is no longer serving you. Lighten your load in this time, so that you can regain the energy to focus once again on what fulfills you when spring comes next year.
Consider the hard parts that winter brings, and think of how you can set yourself up for a better winter. Store up nutrients in your heart now, for the cold and dark months ahead. Harvest seeds to plant in the spring. Soak up the last rays of Vitamin D. Make art out of the last wildflowers of summer! Dry them, frame them, bring nature indoors. A touch of inspiration can brighten your darkest day, and connect you to the sweetness of nature – even on days when you don’t make it outside. In the dead of winter, embrace hibernation and coziness. Discover the Danish word, “Hygge.”
There is a time to work hard, and a time to heal and feed our souls. There are times of sweetness and times of bitterness, times of decision-making and times of reflection. Embrace them all. Recognize the signs of each chapter Mother Nature is sharing with us, and seek to be in sync with her.
