Nothing Blooms Forever
Belle against a backdrop of vibrant fall leaves, grazing on the last stubble of grass.
I’m feeling a bit melancholic lately. The time change never sits well with me, and I can feel the sun weakening even as it has been shining so much lately. It’s been a California fall, and I’m not complaining one bit about that (it’s also kept my rain anxiety away, which is a relief at the moment).
And as I watch the leaves scatter in the wind that seems increasingly cooler by the day, I’m reminded that nothing blooms forever. Why we get it in our heads that we can be otherwise, I don’t know, but it’s not helpful.
Everything has it’s season (turn, turn, turn), and we would do well to embrace that for ourselves in whatever way feels good. Our animals do it naturally, changing their habits with the seasons - napping in the low afternoon sun that comes blazing through the windows in winter. The horses grow thick winter coats based on the length of daylight (there’s only about 2 months out of the year that they don’t shed, actually, the rest of the year they are preparing for the next season). Energy levels change with the sunlight and there’s no reason that we shouldn’t, too.
So I encourage you to take a good look at your rhythms this season and see if they match how you are really feeling on the inside. If they are not, what might you be able to do to adjust a little bit? Evenings spent reading with low lamps and cozy blankets? Taking an afternoon stroll or lunch break walk to take in the little bit of sun that’s available? How can you look to the natural rhythms to support you and your pet in the changing seasons?
What if being low energy and wanting lots of naps is ok? What if wanting to do things differently during this time is normal and what we should be doing instead of trying to continue to go, go, go straight from the summer high right through winter and out the other side again?
What if we recognize that we, too, need a time to sleep and slumber, just like the trees, so that we might blossom vibrantly in the return of the sun in the spring again?
