I spent the weekend at a writers' retreat in Boone, North Carolina. Being in the Blue Ridge Mountains at this time of year was inspirational itself, but when you layer on top of that the teachings from our guide for the weekend, John Roedel, and the openhearted sharing from the nearly 30 people in attendance, the weekend was invigorating and got my creative juices flowing.
As I looked out over the hills blanketed in leafy trees, I felt like I could breathe. Being there as the leaves began to turn from green to red, yellow, and orange, was a great reminder that everything goes through transitions, including us.
While I was sitting on a bench, watching leaves flutter to the ground (and hoping I wouldn't get pelted by one of the falling acorns), I wrote this poem.
Transitions
The trees exhale, and I inhale.
Air thick with oxygen.
Alive. Nourishing. Healing.
The Blue Ridge Mountains
Deciduous forest,
Blue skies, clear air.
A palette of green,
peppered with deep red,
and burnt orange.
Leaves and acorns fall to the forest floor.
The trees exhale, and I inhale.
My lungs expand,
and welcome in the organic scent
of life and death.
I can breathe among the trees,
and shed the accumulated layers
weighing me down.
Transitions.
A lesson in letting go.
Everything fades and dies,
and new life emerges.
What once was gives way
to what will be.
Death breeds life.
We live, learn, evolve, teach, and then
Let go. Be still. Breathe.
When I returned to Colorado and started going through my inbox, I came across some poetry excerpted from the way forward by Yung Pueblo that drove the point home.
your relationship with change will define your life if you reject change, you will struggle if you accept it, it will inspire you to be more present and to live without holding back
Fall serves as a time of transition from the activity of Summer to the stillness of Winter. A time to let go of anything weighing you down, take stock of where you are and how things are going, and just be for a bit. In our society it's difficult to slow down. We don't often change our schedules based on the seasons.
Consider how you can mimic Mother Nature. Let go of any accumulated layers that aren't serving you, and take some time for rest. Find time to curl up with a book and cup of tea (or a cat in your lap), or whatever helps you relax. Doing so will pay off when it comes time to blossom again.
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