nature is my teacher, lesson 1

Nature is my teacher, lesson 1:

   It is late summer, the fruits are full, the sun is still shining, there is dew on the grass in the morning, and the nights are getting chilly. We are reaching the end of the growing seasons (spring and summer), and entering the resting periods (fall and winter), times for growth of a different kind, the internal. Although the sun's calendar begins on the winter solstice, one might say that we are at the end of the Earth's year.

   One lesson I see in this is that the plants drop their seeds now, but the seeds don't sprout until next spring. This teaches us about the importance of being prepared, of thinking ahead, of having a vision or plan for the coming year. Of setting the stage and knowing our goal before we embark on our next journey or project or chapter.
  Yet at the same time, we must have the patience to wait for the right timing, for the proper conditions in which our new seeds may flourish. The seeds that sprout too early will not survive the last frosts and the lack of appropriate conditions such as sunshine and warmth and not too much rain. The last several years we have seen this in February in the northwest, with brief warm spells that entice an early bloom, only for the young plants to die off when the march frosts returned. The perfect plan executed with poor timing will fail.

  Reflecting nature, now is a good time to reflect on last year, and to think about our vision for the coming year... Where do we want to be? What will it take to get us there? What aspects of life to we want to keep from last year, what do we want to let go...

patience,        one step at a time...