Transition

By: Ariana Durling

So today is August 15, 2019.  The calendar says it is still summer, but here in rural Michigan, the subtle changes in nature are hinting towards autumn.  The birds have different songs now, many of them are preparing their young for the long migration, some are even already missing from my sights, whether yet gone or just unnoticed.   The plants are drying and succumbing to the cooler night air.  The seeds are floating in the air as they propagate their legacy.  Most woodland critters have raised their young and prepare for the anticipated winter. And I have been paying close attention to the season changes the past several years, as I watch my landscape go through the various changes it takes to morph into the next phase.  If you ask me what my favorite season is, I always say fall.  And this is odd, as historically it has been the most troubled of times for me.  I get melancholy, I become restless and have felt trapped in a life of routine, and it seems that when natures is sloughing off the old I too had longed for the fresh new feelings that a long hard winter and new growth could provide. It was in this time I felt lost and sought solace in many things that were not in my best interest. Now after years of self inspection, I can finally say this is not so much the case.

I catch myself sometimes missing the old melancholy feeling.  Odd, but it is in our nature to cling to coping mechanisms that do not serve us.  The subconscious can justify protecting us in irrational ways, and until we listen, look and are honest with ourselves it will be allowed to continue.  So when I feel a slight ping of the old ways that now just slightly approach me, I just smile and acknowledge the emotion as I would an old acquaintance I no longer see.  I look inside with warm reflection and say to myself- Just as the scene in my backyard is letting go of it’s past, whether beautifully blossomed, dried and dying, only partially formed- I too let it go. Let go of the worn out patterns that no longer serve my highest good.

I used to think I would revel in dredging up the old stories from my past.  Ones that friends still tend to ask me to recall.  Ones of my escapades while I was flying through life like a tornado.  They make people laugh, they make people say, “Wow, she was bold and uninhibited!” I was proud to pass along my adventures like showing off the championship trophy.  And I used to think this is how I wanted to be remembered.  But now as I quiet my life, my actions, my mind, I realize that the love and calmness I have attained and are now teaching others to attain is how I really want to be remembered.

So my past keeps fading more and more into darkness as I progress on my journey. I see it more like watching a movie, not me, just an actress in her role.  And as fall once again enters I face it with excitement and optimism as I know my transformation keeps bringing me closer and closer to being the me I was meant to be- not the me I originally wanted to be.  And I feel at peace.  I thank the higher power and feel a wonderful energy of love.

Until next time, remember to stop, look, observe the world around you. Look at yourself as if looking at a stranger. Try letting go of ways, processes that no longer serve you. I will soon start telling you the path to peace.  You will be surprised how simple it really can be.

Peace to you today.