One of the great gifts of living in Colorado is being able to witness its glorious, golden fall. There is nothing quite like the way aspens glisten in late September and into mid-October. Living in Denver for 21 years, I have fallen quite madly in love with this season, and it is not for the “pumpkin spice everything”. In fact, I am not sure I am a fan of this flavor at all! Instead, it has everything to do with how this season challenges me to reframe my thoughts and accept that change can indeed be beautiful.
In my own life, I am living through major transition and life changes and I am not as good at managing it as I thought I would be. Our nest is slowly emptying, and it is hard…so hard. It must have something to do with being raised in a communal culture where large extended families live close to one another and are enmeshed in the each other’s everyday life. This way of living is in stark contrast to the independent spirit of American family life, where kids move away and build their own lives in locations they choose. Although I did this very thing 30 years ago, I had no idea how difficult it would be to manage all the emotions.
At this point, I am tempted to bring in the real estate market parallels in the fourth quarter. The stats, the trends, the predictions etc. Because there ARE parallels, and there are things that we need to let go of for the next cycle to begin. But today, this feels forced because sometimes a moment that is suspended, that stands out and apart, can be beautifully and painfully confounding while also being necessary for growth.
Thankfully, we have a few more of these stunning fall days! As the stillness of winter approaches, I commit to working on being present in the moments that catch my breath, and to keep breathing through it instead of trying to figure it out. Change and transformation is inescapable and a necessary part of the human condition. While it feels inauthentic to claim that I will “embrace winter”, I will continue working towards letting go as much as I can in the midst of the swirl so that I am ready for the renewal ahead.
