It May Feel Like a Circle. It's Always a Spiral.

So here I am entering into September again and my body remembers the way. The rush of summer has passed, the harvest is in and the apples are ripening on the trees. My thoughts drift to darker evenings, warmer food and preparing for the transition into the new academic year. It often seems counterintuitive to me that as the world is slowing down we expect our offspring to start a new phase. I plan packed lunches, think about transport and coordinate our diaries to Christmas. When we home educated we threw not-back-to-school picnics in the parks to reclaim the spaces we had avoided through the busy summer season, while other people make the most of falling holiday prices and head off to warmer climes without the noisy children filling the pools.

We live our lives in these chunks, breaking them down into manageable pieces. Things to look forward to, other pieces to overcome, mundane routines to revisit. All the time hoping this time it will be more fun, easier or that life will support us more. Often finding ourselves on the treadmill of mediocrity. We have important dates that we look forward to or dread. So many aspects to consider around transitions. Are we going round in a circle or a spiral?

It may feel like a circle but it's always a spiral. We are never the same as we were before. Last year I was new to this home and the surrounding community. This year, having lived and learned, not only am I different but so is everyone else, creating different choices and perspectives. We are always growing, hence the changes but the pace of that growth is down to us.

We will put things off and that will affect our trajectory. In Chinese medicine this harvest time is a distinct season I love. They describe five seasons and late summer has its own distinct characteristics. It is the time of plenty when blackberries ripen to join the apples in sweet nutritious treats.

However if these plants had not grown, flowered and poured energy into the forming of their fruit, nothing would happen. If I had not tended the plants in my garden they would have been overgrown by weeds and failed. They would still have grown but they may not have flourished. Perhaps the lack of light, water and nutrients would have created a failed crop this year or even next. This is a metaphor for our progress. If I had not mended the gutters on my house I would still have damp walls. Those walls would still be standing but the progress I made in creating a happy healthy home would have been hindered.

We look at the task in front of us but miss the compounding effect it may have if we avoid it.

However there also needs to be space to assimilate and grow. However much I tend the flowers in the spring the fruit will not ripen until autumn. If I had not allowed the wall to dry before painting I would have trapped the water inside.

So how do we know when to act and when to allow? Practice and being prepared to learn from ourselves and those who have been there before. If in doubt I generally act. This will give me more information than procrastinating but the majority of the time I already know the answer. Just as I said at the beginning, my body remembers the way.

Are you growing or shrinking?
Are you the same person you were last year?
Have you achieved your goals or are you in the same place?

I suggest you take a moment to reflect on where you are compared to last year. On Sunday I went for brunch with my son and we enjoyed reflecting on how this year compares to last, what has changed and what unexpected joys we have discovered along the way.

I dare you to make space to do the same.

Enjoy and celebrate what you have achieved. 🍂