Changing of Seasons and Noticing.. Today is Halloween and the weather is cloudy and warm for this time of year (in the 60’s).  Yet mother nature isn’t disappointing us and the belated beauty of the autumn foliage is spectacular.  My husband made a point of alerting me to the brilliant reds and oranges on our backyard maple tree, particularly as contrasted with the golden yellow of the trees behind it.  And as we watch the leaves fall to the ground, and, perhaps, complain too much about our need for raking, I am reminded of the seasons of life and the theme of noticing.

Autumn happens to be my favorite season as I welcome the lower humidity (as experienced on the East Coast), cooler and crisp days, weather that beckons you to play outside and ride bikes or go for hikes.  And every time I mention my favorite season of autumn to others, they mention the regret of shorter days and the coming of winter.  The coach in me forever searches for another meaning… another perspective and the metaphor hiding beneath the surface.

In our American culture, is it that we resist death, as in the falling of leaves, because of perceived darkness to come?  How might we use the sharpness of light and color, and noticing that is inspired within us just before the falling?  How often is it that when we recognize the impermanence of something or someone, we seem to notice what’s special about them and cherish them more?  As you know, I am taking care of my elderly mom and I marvel at how I can still find those sparks of beauty and strength, amidst the decline of her memory and her independence.

The leaves that are dying stand out against the perpetual green of the evergreens, and those trees become background to the display of color and life that seems to come to the deciduous trees.  If only we could recognize that beauty in our aging seniors and celebrate them as we celebrate autumn splendor?  If only we could use our powers to pause and notice in seasons other than autumn?  Nature has so much to teach us and each season brings a unique beauty and message.  Winter teaches us to slow down; conserve energy; stay warm, and turn inward.  We are preparing for the burst of energy and outward focus of spring, with new hopes, dreams, growth, and splendor.  Using that burst of energy, we go full throttle into the longer days of summer, filled with activity, adventure, lightness, sunshine, laughter, and play.  Just imagine if we had to keep that up all year long?  What difference would that make to our ability to pause and notice?  Now there’s something to ponder!  Are we creating a perpetual summer with our constant use of electronic devices? (I’ll save that for another passage!).

I’ve been finding it more difficult to wake up in the mornings and I am reminded of nature’s slowing down and hibernation. I am choosing to continue to celebrate the beauty of autumn, yet I am celebrating it for a whole new reason.  I am celebrating my ability to notice.  After seeing a photograph that I took during one of our hikes, a friend of mine commented: “Joy, you see things that others don’t see:  what an eye you have!”  God has certainly blessed me with that ability and I celebrate it not only with photography, but more-so with nature and people.  Here’s to noticing and to the seasons of life!

At the ripe young age of 54, I just bought a family wagon!  Normally, when I think of family wagons, I think of car seats for infants and toddlers; hauling children back and forth from athletic events; taking the dog for a ride; packing bags of groceries to feed the gang at home; and driving our adolescents and their friends to the mall or some other social gathering.

But, my husband and I don't have a dog... we have two cats who don't particularly like to ride in the car; we don't have children and the groceries we buy, for the most part, are just for the two of us.  So, why the family wagon?  Thankfully, we have aging mothers!

Now we pack walkers (rollators) that allow our moms to sit when they get tired, and keep them balanced when they walk.  We may buy them groceries, but they're limited due to the meals they get at their continuing care community.  We haul them to various events... alas, most of them seem to be doctor's appointments. We crank up the volume on the radio but it's not so they can sing along and groove to the beat... it's so they can HEAR any beats!

The music we play is not of our time.... it's of THEIR time... We don't talk about the news of today; we reminisce about days gone by and speak more of emotion than facts.  Head matters less..... heart matters most. We exchange "I love you's" at every encounter and offer hugs as if they may be our last one, because they could be.  

I have the privilege of watching my husband demonstrate patience (most of the time...), advocacy, and compassion for our moms and I fall in love with him all over again.  Both Robin and I are learning to be less judgmental and more accepting; to exercise our sense of humor and the art of forgiveness.  We are parents at a mature age and thank God every day that we can give back to our moms who have given us so much!  On this day of Independence, we are thankful for our freedoms and for those who are dependent on us.  God Bless........ 

Those of you who live in the Baltimore/Washington Area know what kind of winter we had this year (2009-2010).  Well, one day in February, a sunny, somewhat warm day (relatively speaking), I decided to go for a hike to clear my head and help make some decisions re: career moves.

I went on a trail not too far from my home, one I had been on once in the past....  the trail was pretty wet and muddy, as you can imagine, and I needed to go off to the sides to avoid sinking and getting my shoes totally ruined.  I had hiked for about an hour, didn't have any epiphanies, so I decided to go along a bit further on this other trail, unfamiliar to me.  After hiking for approximately 2 hours, and getting a bit weary, I decided I wanted to return to my car..... only to find that I couldn't find the trail markers, heard the car noise so knew I was close to a road, but had no idea which way to go.....

Thanks to my Iphone (I should call Apple and give them this testimonial....), I used the compass and map to locate my car, and blazed my own trail to return to my car.... and that was the ONLY way I was able to find it!  I ended up hiking a mile and a half on the road to get to my car........

So much for clearing my head, I thought!  And, then I paused to reframe:  "hmmm, maybe sometimes the road isn't always clear, and there are obstacles in your way, but if your vision is clear, and you use guides along the way, eventually, you reach your destination!"

Changing my view helped provide a needed perspective for the adventure I was about to take!  How can changing your view....  support changes you'd like to make???