Leaf Glowing

I'm not sure if it is encouraging or a bit disheartening but at 60 years old, I'm still learning life lessons, feeling hurt by people, encouraged by those who take time to truly see, and continually asking myself, 'What is mine to own and what do I let go?'

My husband and I took a much-needed trip up north in search of changing leaves and the sound of waves lapping the shore. We found all of that (thank you, Lake Superior!) but more importantly, we found moments of peaceful, quiet escapes. It's been a year of multiple surgeries and a lot of pet trauma (if you’ve ever had a beloved pet go through life-changing illness, you know the all-encompassing grief.) 2025 has not been a favorite year. Yet that's what makes the good sink in so deeply.

I recently had a person close to me do some mean-girl gossiping and ill-informed judging behind my back. Childish observation right? I'm older than a schoolgirl, it shouldn't still feel so bad when that happens. But sadly (I regret to inform you), the initial pang of hurt is still the same. I sat with it (that's the part that gets better), looked at it from all sides, took from it bits I should own and work on, and have been in the process of dribbling and drabbling it out of my grippy fingers. Remember the part in Shawshank Redemption when Andy's removing the cement from his cell wall, little by little, and dumping it into the yard as they take their daily walk? That's the image I often get when it comes to me letting go of hard things. I tend to stew a little bit less as I age, but sometimes it takes a while to move forward.

Stepping into the magic of Nature while she is changing clothes from summer into beautiful autumn was a cleansing refresh. No matter the slights trees endure over the season, they still move forward to the next season. They do their job. They edify the earth and all of us lucky enough to inhabit it.

Every health expert suggests taking a walk when you're feeling anxious, right? Let me echo their oft-used refrain. We were meant to be in rhythm with the earth. It's how we function the most efficiently. Stepping into nature releases endorphins as we breathe in the magical connection between human and earth. If possible, look up. Look out. There are many things to freeze us into fear - and complacency - these days. I am overwhelmed along with you. But we must remember to grasp for the good. Refuse to surrender our spirits to tyrants. Or mean girls. Or limitations. Or jealousy. Or daunting deadlines. Pick up a fallen leaf this season and keep it as a talisman. There is still reason to believe in purifying grace, blind forgiveness, and the turning tides and seasons. May the simple and efficient leaf show us the way this fall. There is innate beauty and purpose in letting go.