The weather continues to cool. The leaves still grip with remarkable strength but harvest has begun, and so I've accepted that Fall is here in all its beauty and some of its sting.
I see the farmers out working, morning til night, reaping what they've sown. Field after field of rows of swathed crops, and it makes me think about the harvests in our own lives. Moments where we look back on a season of planting, tending, cultivating, weeding, watering, wishing and realize....poof!
W E D I D I T!
What once looked like a blank slate and so much work ahead has now become a fertile field, bursting with growth that is ripened and ready for harvest.
A field full of the proof that we CAN grow. That we CAN create.
That we CAN overcome.
Its beautiful because its a ledger of what once wasn't there. And now it exists.
And it stings, because only in the closing of that chapter, does it ever feel fully clear that the journey of that chapter was the sweetest part. The 'becoming' that was required to navigate and create within that season, that was the gift.
But then! Its beautiful all over again, because that 'becoming' is what we get to take with us. Everything we learned and overcame and transformed into; that is the self we take into the next chapter.
Hopefully we string together countless harvest experiences like this in our lifetimes. Standing in that open field at the beginning, scratching our heads, wondering 'how will I ever do this......'. Then, one foot bravely in front of the other, we actually do it. Eventually, the day will come, when its time to close that chapter and move to another. H A R V E S T. And with it, we will experience that autumnal feeling all over again in our hearts. The beauty of the achievement and the sting of saying goodbye to the journey.
Then, another field.
Scratching our head some more.
But this time, we know that 'how will I ever....'
becomes
'Step by step, I know I can ... because I am Becoming'.
Wishing you the most lovely, autumn week my friend ♥︎
A PRACTICE IN PRESENCE
While I deeply believe that ultimate clarity for a season comes at the end, I do also believe that we can mindfully practice more gratitude and attention on the journey itself. Whatever chapter you find yourself in right now, I invite you to look back on the empty field you started with. Even if it isn't time for Harvest in this chapter, notice the green shoots sprouting up everywhere. Notice what once wasn't there and is now. Notice that without your daily efforts, this field might still be barren. Then, think about the ways you've grown to make those green shoots a reality. Express gratitude to yourself and recognize, whatever kind of field you find yourself in, that right where you are is exactly where you're meant to be. This step is needed to become who you are becoming.