It’s October. Last week I built fires in the woodstove to take the nip out of the early mornings. And then the last few days, here it is. Indian Summer. Temperatures in the eighties, hawks soaring above in the balmy breeze. The sun offers its light on a slant, making it feel even more stunning and precious.
And how very precious it is, this Last Blast of Summer. Called by different names in as many cultures, humans have long celebrated this brief but intense return of the warmth of the growing season. For me this means incorporating the season’s basil in some ratatouille and savoring the last tomatoes as I remember Greece in a salad. These are the simplest ways to honor the season.
I’m also making use of the nurturing strength and the warmth that is here, now. At this time of life, I have daily proof that the golden light will not stay. I experience the creaking of my own body and watch my friends transformed by life-threatening illness. And what I see is that there’s something about this rare light of autumn that makes being alive even more precious.
This has given me the inspiration to let some of that light shine on the shadows (and the shallows) of my own heart. I’ve asked sources seen and unseen to show me those places I’d usually like to ignore, to deny, or to overlook. An unkind thought, a crappy little island of my life where I still haven’t quite made peace. The things that I look past in the busy-ness of summer so that I can live in the light of the abundance that that season brings.
Who knows? This may be the Last Blast of those old, self-defeating patterns I could really live better without. The crabbiness and lack of clarity with my spouse. The sneaky habit of eating what my mind thinks it needs rather than listening to my body.
From deep curiosity and presence, it’s good to truly see each of those things. Because if they’re on their way out, I sure wouldn’t want to miss that. Or the peace that follows.
Find a moment or two this week to notice the unique light or the movement of the clouds. Is there a way to experience that “en-light-enment” in your life? To allow that moment of presence to show what would like to leave. What would you like to embrace as if it’s a dear friend who’s about to depart? An experiment. What do you notice?
Image by Muramasa/CC-BY-SA-3.0
