Letting go…of leaves, hurtful habits, outdated patterns, failed beliefs, old ways of thinking.
Fall lessons.
Season for Change – Leaves are falling. Trees are letting go.
The winds of change are here.
Fall is perhaps my favourite season to enjoy watching change in action: it is so colourful.
Autumn leaves on forested hillsides and in ravines are so pleasing and inviting. Fall hiking on Ontario trails is breathtaking and invigorating. William Cullen Bryant writes:
‘Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile’
(Or does he? When researching this quote, I discovered that it was his brother, John H Bryant, who actually wrote the poem “The Indian Summer” with that line.)
Lesson I learned?
go to the source always, to find the truth in life. Coincidentally, Willam Cullen Bryant’s poetry, with themes of nature and changes in life, has been described as a metaphor for truth. I can’t think of a better way to spend a fall day than brewing a hot cup of apple cider, wrapped up in my favourite sweater and reading a few stanzas of poetry about the beauty of nature that surrounds me. Great place to read more of William Cullen Bryant’s poetry is here
Yes, this is the perfect time of year to don your favourite sweater, clean out your closet, embrace the change in weather and adopt a slower pace in your life. Can you do that?
I’ve noticed that at times I struggle with change.
Letting go and ‘turning over a new leaf’ is scary. I watch the change unfold in nature and see how I forget to trust this process. Maybe you are the same. Maybe you have worked really hard at building something or learning a way to live and changing that is just overwhelming.
It is in our nature to hold on to what we have found, created, built and not want to let go.
– Healing Muse
3 main ways in which we hold on:
With our physical hands, we hold on to tangible items we need, want or love such as homes, cars, clothes, food, mementos, gifts, art and everything in between.
We hold on with our minds to beliefs, patterns, habits, rules and past teachings.
And, of course, we all hold on to feelings, experiences, memories in our body, in our heart and mind. All of this holding is natural. It has allowed us to explore new lands, create evolving societies and built communities.
Watch my vlog exercise on 3 steps to intentional change:
So why bother ‘turning over a new leaf’ this season?
Does it help in any way? Yes, it does. Change with the seasons. Connecting with the energy of fall allows you to practice letting go of outdated patterns, discard clothes you don’t need, declutter a home overrun with ‘stuff’ and even release old hurts, anger, sadness, or grief, from your tired heart. When you embrace change with intention, it puts you in the driver’s seat.
Welcome something new, such as learning a new language, beginning a new friendship or test a new way of going to work. This builds a stronger body and mind.
Choosing this change
- allows you more control
- feeling this sense of control has been shown to reduce your stress and anxiety (related to change)
- allows you to set the pace
- brings you into harmony with life
See this season of change as empowering.
Invite Autumn with all her brilliant colours to remind you what change offers: a multitude of options, new paths, heart-warming experiences, sensory richness and growth. True, letting go of anything can be painful. What we have in our life matters. What changes, like the seasons, is the purpose, the support, the structure and even the meaning of what we have in our life.
Keep Shifting – Letting Go opens you up to growth and expansion
Unlike nature, we forget to keep shifting. We forget the necessity of daily change. We do the same things for days, weeks, maybe even years. Go back to the lessons of nature, at least once a season. Start today. Observe her changes. Watch. Breathe in this change. Taking time to introspect and invite changes into your own life. This practice is helpful, healing, strengthening and invaluable to moving forward.
As your feet crunch along the sidewalks littered with fallen leaves, know in your heart that all that matters and all that is important remains with you. Like the trees shedding leaves, you only need to let go of small bits and pieces. The moment you do, new life begins to germinate in your heart, mind and body.
“Growth and comfort do not coexist.” — Ginni Rometty
In case you get cold easily like me and want to heat up already, read my ‘Heat up this winter’ post
