Autumn is a gift to open, enjoy, and say, “Thank you!

My husband and I like to travel, and we also snowbird to Arizona in the winter. The weather is often the topic of conversation as we meet and visit with people. I hear, “I never want to scoop snow again,” “This dry heat is not as hot,” “I miss the four seasons,” and, “The sunsets here are hard to beat.” My comment to help shift the weather conversation is, “Colorado is hard to leave.”

That truth is prevalent today as the leaves turn glorious colors, mums bloom all around town, and the grass is still green. My spirit is warm as gratitude fills me. In other words, I love autumn in Colorado.

We have a beauty that is not the Rocky Mountains on the eastern plains, but it is ours. We can appreciate the calmness of the harvest and planting season winding down, the sway of grasses on the prairie, and our world shifting to cozy evenings and upcoming holidays.

Even though I need an allergy pill because of the smoke and COVID has hit the highest level of our government, somehow, there is the serenity of the routine shift. Shorter days, less yard work, and more time for whatever we enjoy, makes breathing softer, and calmness more
available.

It all makes me think of the scripture about there being a season for this and that. I like this season where life slows down and gives us a chance to gear up for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Fall is the time of year where I can take a guiltless nap, fill the house with scents of cinnamon and spice, and sit outside with a fuzzy throw and breathe the crisp Colorado air.

It is a time for reflection, a time to recenter, time for me.

My mental health message today is for us to allow ourselves to enjoy this healing season. Cut things off our todo list, sleep a little longer, wrap our hands around a large mug and sip a favorite hot beverage, and clear our heads of residual gunk.

Like I learned in yoga, relax, release, surrender. The time is now. Our minds and bodies have limits, and nature provides summer closure so we can reboot. Take advantage of the colors and the quiet. Smile even though nobody can see it under the masks, and let peace run through your body like a trickling stream. Move slower, talk less, and sit more.

Autumn is a gift to open, enjoy, and say, “Thank you!

Until the next time: Live while you live.