From Where I Sit

Here’s this week’s reflection. I hope it resonates with you and ask that, if you enjoyed, please comment and share on your social media. Heartfelt thanks for all your support!

Keeping the light on for you,

Carol

From where I sit, a sea of amber, red, and gold reminds me that change can indeed be beautiful. Autumn is upon us in full swing; Mother Nature’s seasonal shift to preparation for winter’s hunkering down and hibernation. I look forward to this annual journey inward for repose and reflection. To say I adore this time of year is an understatement; it nourishes all my senses, most notably stoking my internal fire of intention and delight. 

From where I sit, inspiration is endless. Fall’s kaleidoscope nudges me to court creativity, to flirt with thoughts in the hope an idea, snapped to attention in the chill breeze, will take root. That a story will materialize, or a fond memory find its narrative wings and take flight. That what I share with others will have merit, touch a heart, or simply conjure a smile.  

My vantage point offers the soft lapping of lake against still-grassy shores and birds conversing on high. It gifts the privileged song of rustling leaves and choreography of prairie grasses keeping rhythm to this organic orchestra. The rattling bugle of Sandhill cranes has all but given way to the honking of geese signaling no stragglers left behind. Small birds chirp and flit anxiously about, devouring what’s left of summer’s fruitful bounty. Hickory nuts and acorns fall in dulled taps as squirrels hurry to gather sustenance for secret coffers. The activity around me is quietly pragmatic. Change is in the air, after all, and it behooves even the smallest inhabitants to prepare in earnest. 

Peace, stillness, and immense gratitude are the bestowals from this sanctum where I sit. The gentle creak of a wooden bench adds further conversation to the dialogue of bountiful simplicity. Big magic lives here, wrapping its warmth around anyone who actively seeks this place of refuge – a site that imbues those who dare seek it with a sense of calm, order, and most notably, wonder.

From here, the sky is endless, yet heaven seems close at hand. Life’s frustration and heartache are not permitted to sit alongside me here. While dissension often walks with us, I instruct that salt to walk far behind as I take sweet time for wisdom and enlightenment. 

I’m reminded how small I am in a very big universe, and also reassured that, regardless of stature, we are all important threads in the warp and weft of life. All one must do is observe nature’s weavings, that there are no trivial roles in Mother Nature’s kingdom. Nothing is overlooked in this superb tapestry of cycle and purpose. 

From where I sit, the air is pure and perfumed only with scents of transition: cooling water, the musk of dried leaves, and last remnants of sweetness from herbage relaxing back into damp earth. In these parts, autumn rains gently coax expired verdure to their dormancy and subsequent renewal – a reminder that we, too must release and renew.

Although I sit in solitude, I am far from alone in the lush company of Mother Earth and all her creation, as both observer and participant, seeker and recipient. The secret of a good life is here for the taking; one must only stop, inhale the heady elixir of goodness, and be open to the possibilities presented with each breeze. While each passing day offers subtle differences, the overwhelming gist remains: quietude, awareness, and most importantly thanksgiving. 

In the trajectories of my gaze and the depths of my thoughts, life is full. Even when weather or circumstance darkens my light, this sanctuary never fails to soothe, embolden, and direct. Acceptance, forgiveness, and love all within reach from where I sit.