Why Bother Being Seasonally Intelligent?

It is Fall, one of my favorite seasons. When I  step outside, a beautiful landscape blankets the world and enlivens all of my senses. The air is damp and filled with the aroma of earth. Golden leaves litter the pathway under my feet while a canopy of red is overhead. The sky is a deeper shade of blue, the mountains are dusted white and honking geese touch down to rest before traveling further south. Fall is colorful, beautiful, chilly and damp, a season unto its own. 

Seasons in Our Lives

Our lives are also like the seasons in nature and having an awareness of our personal time periods keeps us smart about what we should be doing in each of those interludes. How the geese know when to migrate is a mystery to me, but somehow they know. They flap their wings, get into formation and fly off into the sky. So it is true of maple leaves- they know when it is time to turn from green to red and flutter down to the ground. 

As I think about the seasons of nature, I think about a friend who is grieving the loss of her father. She understands that the work involved in mourning will take her away, for a little while, from the other work she has as an author and editor. She is conscious that she cannot process her sorrow and work at the same time. For a period, she will allow herself to weep, lament and remember. She is in a season of sorrow. 

Another friend is in the throes of healing from toxic relationships. For many years of her life she subjected herself to people who took advantage of her, and nearly deleted herself on their behalf. But not any more. She is renewing her mind, her life and her health. She is in a season of healing. 

Then there is the friend who is half-way finished with raising children. One child is in college and one is soon to graduate from high school. Still, my friend is not finished with parenting, with being on call at all hours to counsel and to console her kids. She is in the parenting season. 

Finally, there is me, a published author. My life, my story is no longer a private affair. I am an open book, so to speak. I was comfortable keeping my story to myself, and now is the season for me to grow comfortable with a little more exposure. I am in a season of becoming known as a published author.  

Why bother being seasonally intelligent? The more aware we are of our particular season, the smarter we are at accomplishing the tasks for that season.