Seasons of Change Blog

Reflections on Change: In Full Color

I was in my car waiting to make a left on the main street of our small New England town. I took a few deep breaths as I looked around, taking in the sea of fall color. The trees are once again clad in red, rust, and gold. As the wind blew gently, leaves began to waltz all around me. I smiled.

Looking at them, I felt quiet and peaceful. My heart felt the coming of change again. Winter will follow fall and spring will follow winter. I remembered how reluctantly I observed the first signs of fall, trying to hold on to every minute of warmth and sunshine. Fall signaled the inevitability of winter. Not a promising thought for someone who craves sunshine constantly. Yet, here I am today, welcoming the sight of the trees surrendering their foliage.

I feel a sense of excitement and adventure bubbling inside. What will this fall and the coming winter bring? As you think of changes that are happening or have happened in your life, what do fall and winter symbolize for you?

The changing seasons provide valuable insights about our personal transitions and how they progress. What will this fall and winter bring? I see these two seasons as an opportunity for deeper reflection and contemplation. During fall and winter my need for quiet and introspection increases. When I look around I find that I am pulled to a different direction. For years I have lived through the conflict of having to be too active during the time when I feel the need to slow down the most. Holiday celebrations, family gatherings, school events, and work demand my attention and claim my energy with a sense of urgency. I continuously face the dilemma of creating the time to go within while balancing life’s realities.

It is not easy to carve time for solitude and introspection. But we need to be able to process our experiences and reflect upon our journey, our insights, our relationships, and our emotions if we want to be fully present in our lives. How do we go about creating the inner space for guidance and clarity to come in?

Why not begin by creating a sacred place for ourselves, a room or a corner, where we can go and just be? Why not take fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, one hour each day and practice “being?” Being quiet, thoughtful, and introspective, listening to our own inner voice and breathing in relaxation. It can be done.

I remember when my children were infants, the long waking, working hours, and the feeling of exhaustion. The days and hours would just blend into each other. Every day around one in the afternoon they would take a nap. After many attempts at being productive at that time, I realized that what I craved the most was stillness. So, I did just that. I would make myself a pot of tea and serve it in my favorite tea cup. I would light a candle and sit in front of my biggest window, put my feet up and allow myself to take it all in. Sometimes it was thirty minutes and sometimes it was one hour. At the end of this break I felt rested, excited, ready to go hug my kids again and experience joy. I still remember how I felt.

I envisioned my business during those times. It did not happen suddenly. Rather it happened over time, slowly. The vision came in first as a “what if” question, then as a daydream, and finally as clear knowledge of what needed to happen next.

I believe it is in honoring our deepest needs that our intuition, self-love, and true respect find their expression. What good are we to anyone when we ignore our needs and allow exhaustion and resentment to settle in? To walk our path with trust and confidence we need to learn to listen to our inner voice and allow it to guide us. As we enter one more fall, one more winter, let’s make a promise to ourselves. Today I will listen to my body, I will listen to my heart and I will do something about it.

Article written by Yota Schneider
www.openforsuccess.com

Living in Full Bloom

Last week I lead a women’s retreat in a beautiful local garden.

The theme was “Living in Full Bloom.”  One activity was to stroll through the garden absorbing the environment with all of your senses. When you come upon something that really attracts or excites you, sit down and color it. (Everyone was given their own box of crayons!!!) Then write one or two sentences starting, “I like this ______ because…”

When we joined together as a group, everyone shared their artwork and description. Then I asked them to re-read the same passage but starting with, “I like myself because…”

The Virginia Tech Ripple Effect

My heart sank when I first read the news of the Virginia Tech incident.

When events like this happen I immediately think of the ripple effect of the primary event. In this case, the gunman took the lives of innocent students sitting in their dorm or their class rooms.

Certainly those students lives are irrevocably changed...those who died definitely, but even those who were injured and will have to live on with the memory of what they witnessed.

Aspen's Favorite Things

In the last four months that Aspen has been a member of our household, we've learned a bit about his favorite things. It's such a quirky little collection I thought you'd get a kick out of them as well.

1) Anything with a motor...he loves to watch airplanes fly overhead, will sit down on his walk to watch a car back out of a driveway, and was completely mystified by the gas powered leaf blower that a gardener had left running in a yard. He looks at the object in question with a focused tilt to his head...as if trying to figure out what it is, why it is, and how it works.

In the Presence of Wise Women

I have just returned from the US Virgin Islands where I led a women’s retreat, entitled “Embracing Change & Moving Gracefully through Life.”  Once again, I was awed by the power of sisterhood that occurs when women gather together with focus and intention.

We stayed in the beautiful eco-resort Maho Bay Camps on St John’s Island.  Living in tent cabins, eating and meeting in open air pavilions, and basking in the Caribbean seas, our senses were saturated by the sounds and rhythms of nature. On the first two days we explored the phenomena of change and how to manage the inevitable transitions of life.  I presented the signs, purpose, and detours of the Seasons of Change module created by Carol McClelland, and my co-leader Linda Marrical explained the principles of yin/yang and the natural flow of the five elements as described by Chinese medicine.