Whether it's winter's cold, summer's heat, spring rains or the changing colors of fall, you can pretty much count on the "rules-of-predictability" within the four seasons - a fact I find both comforting and annoying. (Comforting because there are few surprises and annoying because there really are few surprises.)
And since I brought it up, I'm also not crazy about seasonal transitions, particularly summer into fall. I mean you finally become familiar with the "personality" of one season and then everything changes. The flip flops and shorts come in, sweaters and puffy coats go out and a whole new set of seasonal rules apply.
And since I brought it up, I'm also not crazy about seasonal transitions, particularly summer into fall. I mean you finally become familiar with the "personality" of one season and then everything changes. The flip flops and shorts come in, sweaters and puffy coats go out and a whole new set of seasonal rules apply.
Because I find these transitions mildly off-putting, I’m always thankful for the shallow breath and quiet embrace fall offers as summer slips away. For me, it's like a sad, yet firm, reminder that it’s once again time to let go and move forward. Sorta like the game of musical chairs I played as a child.
Of all the seasons, however, I think fall most reminds me of a loving mother putting her children to bed, which is why a new arrival at Jeffrey Woods seemed so wrong and yet, so gloriously right.
As I slowly pushed through the heavy fall air on a recent nighttime walk, an unexpected image of new life emerged within the sleeping woods.
Oblivious to the improbable statistics of survival, a mother deer gently nursed her newborn fawn among drying leaves, withered plants and brittle undergrowth. "Yes," I shouted out loud. "Proof positive that even Mother Nature breaks her own rules."
Too late in the season to be camouflaged by plants and too little foliage left to gain enough weight before winter, the two were a fearless picture of trust. (Mother trusted she could care for her late-season offspring and baby trusted her mother would make things right.)
And, if the process of inhaling & exhaling might have disturbed that moment - I stood for a breathless eternity watching them while the forest filled with a peaceful warm glow those of faith often describe.
As I slowly pushed through the heavy fall air on a recent nighttime walk, an unexpected image of new life emerged within the sleeping woods.
Oblivious to the improbable statistics of survival, a mother deer gently nursed her newborn fawn among drying leaves, withered plants and brittle undergrowth. "Yes," I shouted out loud. "Proof positive that even Mother Nature breaks her own rules."
Too late in the season to be camouflaged by plants and too little foliage left to gain enough weight before winter, the two were a fearless picture of trust. (Mother trusted she could care for her late-season offspring and baby trusted her mother would make things right.)
And, if the process of inhaling & exhaling might have disturbed that moment - I stood for a breathless eternity watching them while the forest filled with a peaceful warm glow those of faith often describe.
Sometimes in life there are moments that teach and sometimes there are images that comfort. For me, this moment in the fall woods was both.
Lessons Learned In A Nighttime Fall Woods
* Change is inevitable.
* There's comfort in predictability, but great joy in the possibility of change.
* There are ALWAYS miracles floating in the night air, so never count them out.
* Thankfully, rules are sometimes meant to be broken.
* Letting go of fear should be easier.
* Trusting shouldn't be so hard.
* Faith & hope are always good things.
(“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.” ... Dalai Lama)
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Lessons Learned In A Nighttime Fall Woods
* Change is inevitable.
* There's comfort in predictability, but great joy in the possibility of change.
* There are ALWAYS miracles floating in the night air, so never count them out.
* Thankfully, rules are sometimes meant to be broken.
* Letting go of fear should be easier.
* Trusting shouldn't be so hard.
* Faith & hope are always good things.
(“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.” ... Dalai Lama)
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In A Nutshell: Enjoy a small remembrance of Jeffrey Woods with an acorn necklace from In A Nutshell, a direct sale, online business located in Bexley, OH, using acorns tops gathered from Jeffrey Woods during walks that inspire Jeffrey Woods' Blogs.
For more information visit ~
Website: www.inanutshellcollective.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/InANutshellCollective
For more information visit ~
Website: www.inanutshellcollective.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/InANutshellCollective