August 22, 2007
Inspirational Living: Embracing the Seasons
Inspirational Living: Embracing the Seasons
by Rev. ReBecca Ames Sala, Regular Contributor to Elegant Plus Magazine
Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore writes in “The Peace of Autumn”Today the peace of autumn pervades the world. In the radiant noon, silent and motionless, the wide stillness rests like a tired bird Spreading over the deserted fields to all horizons its wings of golden green. Today the thin thread of the river flows without song, leaving no mark on its sandy banks. The many distant villages bask in the sun with eyes closed in idle and languid slumber. In the stillness I hear in every blade of grass, In every speck of dust, in every part of my own body, in the visible and invisible worlds, In the planets, the sun, and the stars, the joyous dance of the atoms through endless time. |
While it is hard to think about autumn right at this moment, (as I write this column it is a VERY humid 95 degrees), it will be here before we know it, and the inevitable back to school and/or frenzy of our regular lives will resume.
Rabindranath Tagore’s reflection reminds me that we are on a joyous, inspirational dance with the seasons if we would only stop to take a moment to listen and pay attention with all of our senses.
How do you mark the beginning of each season? While there are holidays that help us, have you ever created your own way of celebrating? Do you have a favorite season you look forward to every year? Have you ever thought about why it is your favorite? Is it because of what the season itself represents or is it because of who you are with that makes it so special?
Several years ago, a ministerial colleague and friend, who specializes in relationships suggested to my husband that we should go away four times a year to reconnect with each other and get away from the work and distractions in our lives. We loved the idea because we are both ministers, and it takes great intentionality to make time for each other.
Each season, we take turns finding a bed and breakfast in Connecticut where we live and surprise each other with a weekend away. It is a time just for us, an opportunity to relax and just be with each other and to get to know the state we have called home for the past four years. One recent weekend, my husband picked me up from work and I had no idea where we were going until we got there. It is nice to have a little mystery in your life now and then. He chose a beautiful B&B in Wallingford, CT with a pond and across the street from a winery. Everyone seemed especially friendly on this weekend and I left my concerns back in Stamford for a little while. We spent a lazy Saturday morning swinging in a hammock by a pond and then walked over for a wine tasting across the street later in the day. We found one of few remaining independent bookstores in Connecticut and spent hours browsing and talking with the owners. It was an inspired weekend because we both were able to just be in the moment without a set schedule.
While I have always loved the change of seasons, I appreciate them in a different way then I have in the past because I am take the time to look at the changes around me, feeling more connected to the people in my life, to nature and my place in the universe.
The seasons are God’s poetry made manifest for us to see and read if only we would take time and notice the subtle changes of color on an autumn leaf; the unique and fragile beauty of the first snow of the winter as it falls like lace on the barren branches; the first hopeful blossom that heralds the birth of spring or the glorious dance of the fireflies on a summer night. There is peace to be found in all the seasons as well as an opportunity for a deeper connection to the natural world and to each other.
Weekend getaways do not have to be limited to spouses or partners. It is just as important to take the time to reconnect with friends you have not seen in a long time. As spiritual beings, we must feed our souls just as we feed our bodies.
Before summer ends and things kick into high gear again, I invite you all to find your own way of making each season special with the people who are close to you, whether it is in your own back yard or in a place you have always wanted to go. The inspirational part of the journey is the relationships you rediscover along the way.
Namaste (I honor the light within you)
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