Tag: seasons

Transitions

October 24th, 2024

The chlorophyll has broken down. Vibrant green leaves have shifted into warmer colors…yellows, oranges, and red. Slowly but surely, they’re falling (approximately 82% of them have fallen onto my car). The transition from summer to fall is one of the most visually stimulating transitions. We go from greens to goldens to bare branches…just like that.

Somewhere along the way, we find the coats, hats and mittens that will become necessary sooner or later. We put away the sandals and dig out the boots. Soups go on the menu as we finish up the last of summer’s tomatoes and zucchini.

Each time I find myself in a new place, I anticipate this transition because I know that it always holds these echoes – color, clothing, meals.

But this year, as fall slips in, I’m in motion too. And it’s almost caused me to miss the shift. I’ve joked that I am “geographically unstable” or that my life is a “logistical bad dream” (not nightmare…it’s not that bad) right now. It’s all of my own making, though.

And I know that the transition….the moment of change…won’t last forever. In just a moment, the leaves will all finish falling and things will be still again.

In the meantime, I am once again on the move. West as far as I can. And then a slow, cumbersome journey east (that includes a conference for grant nerds…be jealous).
And then there was light

December 21st, 2020

The world seems a little dark right now.

Literally and figuratively.

The Winter Solstice is on December 21st. It is the shortest day of the year, meaning that it has the least amount of light and the most darkness.

And then, there’s just a lot going on in the world right now. Between election kerfuffles and protests and a pandemic and…everything else. It’s a lot of hurt. And hate.

Like I said, the world seems a little dark right now.

That’s going to change, though. After the Winter Solstice, the days will gradually get longer. The light will grow. It will get stronger. And before we know it, the sun will stream through our windows to wake us up in the morning and we’ll bask in the light long into the night. Darkness won’t seem so strong or powerful or scary.

I don’t know how the rest of the world will respond. There’s no promise that change in sunlight will get rid of hurt or hate. In fact, it probably won’t have much of an effect.

But if we focus on the permeating darkness of the world, then we’ll miss the light that is being revealed through nature. We’ll miss the kindness that this season brings out in our neighbors. We’ll miss laughter over snowflakes and we’ll miss the spark of joy in a child’s eyes as they stare at twinkling icicle lights. We’ll miss the anticipation that comes with opening gifts and giving gifts…and the hope that comes with knowing that something new is ahead.

This darkness has been dark. But it can’t last forever.

The light shines out of the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. John 1:5
Change

September 27th, 2020

It’s a beautiful time in the northeast.

Cool mornings, warm days. Flannel and fleece are acceptable articles of clothing…but sandals are also acceptable at times. All-day hikes are less brutal and summits give you hints of color. The colors are growing and expanding. The change of the season is happening right before our eyes. And I’m trying to make the change slow down. I want to appreciate the leaves a little more. And savor the mid-day warmth and evening chill.

As much as I’m trying to hold on to this change, I know that I can’t make time stand still here. We’ll get to the point when the trees are bare and every day chills me to my bone. Snow covers the ground and my drive to work, instead of being an artist’s classic rendition of fall, is going to leave me with a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel with the potential to slip or slide or get stuck.

But in the midst of that season, I’ll be motivated to stay inside and coax Otis (my sourdough starter) back into a happy place. I’ll play with pie dough in more ways than last year. I’ll make soups and soups and soups. I’ll try skiing or snowboarding. And I’ll snowshoe to the top of mountains that I’ve celebrated throughout the summer. I’ll admire the glistening of snow and ice as it clings to tree branches. And I’ll stop – mid hike – to appreciate the depths of the silence that you find in the woods on a snowy day.

This change in seasons reminds me that life works in seasons…and with each beautiful change we also see challenges. Things that worry us or make us sad. There are experiences we miss from the last season and hopes and dreams for the next. But it’s essential, if we’re to continue savoring life, to find ways to enjoy wherever we are in this moment.