Yesterday, I gratefully accepted an unexpected offer of a ride across town. Conversation unfolded as we traveled tree lined streets. We shared delight in the rich hues of leaves gracing branches and sidewalks. My kind companion said she had been walking in Gatineau Park the day before and I asked if the colours were at their peak. “The reds have lost their brilliance,” she said, “but the yellows and golds were luminous.”
This simple reflection on leaves tucked itself into my heart. I think about it in connection with embracing changes in our personal landscapes through the seasons of life. Trees bud and bloom, come into abundant green, and blaze with fiery tones. Then they relinquish their efforts – and rest. We don’t expect them to stay the same from season to season. If we have the wisdom of my companion today, we find beauty in all their incarnations.
When we gather for practice, there’s often sharing about adjusting to changes in our bodies, in our hearts, and in the circumstances of our lives. As we move through these experiences, we are also conscious of an invitation – an invitation to learn about how things are in this moment and find out what is possible now. What is more, we are called to honour what is possible now. A mindful embodied practice calls us to discover the light of our yellows and golds, even as we recognize this season’s passing of our brilliant reds. It calls us to cherish the gifts that have been, while we keep our eyes and hearts open to this moment’s opportunities.