Savor Your Season
Autumn.
Fall is my absolute favorite season. I love the freshness of the crisp, cooler air. I love watching the leaves paint a masterpiece against the blue sky. As sad as I am to watch the leaves fall, I am always reminded of the beauty and importance of every season and simply… how beautiful it can be to let things go. As the change happens and I know winter is approaching, I savor this current season. I do all the “fall things”, get my fill of fall flavors, but a thought crossed my mind…
Why is it SO easy for me to fall in love with the season outside, but sometimes more difficult for me to embrace the season inside/internally?
This could be applied to so many different seasons of life, so feel free to adapt it for your own. Currently, this reflects in the season of Motherhood for me.
Intentionality.
Motherhood.
Toddlers.
If you have ever spent any amount of time with a toddler, you know that it is an incredibly fun, beautiful, and sometimes challenging age. Every age and stage bring different joys and challenges. I try my best not to get frustrated with Millie, I know that she has absolutely no control over most of her day and at a time when her favorite phrase is “I do it myself”, that has to be frustrating for her. I made a commitment to be intentional, especially with her. In the time we spend, in the things we do, in the ways we deal with situations… but gosh, I fail every day.
I still get busy. I still have work to do. I still have things to do in the house (which more often than not get put on the back burner… they will always be there; she won’t always be little). I still have graduate courses. I still have internship hours. I still have relationships to maintain (or try too, even when I fail there too). The point I am trying to make is that it is HARD and despite my best efforts, I fail in this commitment all the time.
This weekend we were disappointed because we couldn’t go to the Pumpkin Farm like we always do. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught me how much we value these traditions and how much we miss them when we can’t partake. I started having a pity party Saturday morning and I just couldn’t shake it. I found myself dreading Winter… thinking about the very short few weekends we had until snow would start to fly. But, finally, I realized that by dreading the Winter, all I was really doing was losing Fall… the season that I love most. Winter would come, there was nothing I could do about that. I can’t change a global pandemic. I can’t fix the situation with the pumpkin farm, BUT I can still be intentional and show up for Millie at home. Just like I can enjoy, savor, and appreciate the season of Fall, the beautiful leaves, the crisp cooler air… I could do this internally with this season of Motherhood too. While so many things are out of my control, I can be intentional for Millie. “You will always harvest what you plant” … and sometimes, that has absolutely nothing to do with a garden. So, with a little change in attitude and plans, we had the best day… raking leaves, jumping in the piles, running around laughing and giggling, throwing leaves for Piper, laughing at Piper stealing Millie’s rake because she thought it was a stick, and stuffing leaves into Pumpkin bags to decorate the yard. We got pumpkins from a local market to paint and decorate like one of Millie’s favorite books (It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse!) and spent time enjoying family and the moment.
It seems that amidst the turmoil, change, and angst that seems to have come from 2020, something really beautiful can too… if we choose to let it. It is sometimes easier for us to appreciate the season we are in when it boils down to weather. It’s predictable (to some extent). We know the order… we know that despite Fall leaving us and the leaves dropping, that come Spring we will begin the process all over again. We know that the things we do in these seasons should be savored and enjoyed, but we also know that (Lord willing) more seasons are coming. We hold out the hope for those new seasons too, always looking ahead.
There are a lot of lessons I will be taking from 2020, but I hope the biggest one that I carry with me always, no matter how life may change ahead of me is:
“For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” – Galatians 6:7
My attempts at intentionality, the slowing down, and the appreciation and joy of the present moment is something that I don’t ever want to lose. These little moments, these small interactions and memories with Millie are what will be “harvested” later on in her life. It is the small stuff… the small ways that we repeatedly and consistently show up that can often impact the bigger picture the most. Just as I savor each season outside, I know that I can choose to savor and be present and thoroughly enjoy the season internally. Just like the weather can be messy… sometimes rainy days, snow storms, hurricanes, or simply wind chasing leaves off the trees… I know that the season internally may be messy too.
Here’s the truth: It’s going to be, and that is more than okay.
Whatever journey you are on, wherever you are at right now, whatever season you are in… I hope that you are able to choose to savor the good stuff, the positives, and live present in the moment… even if it is hard, even if it is messy. Just as the seasons change, know that you won’t be in this season forever and even if it is a tough one, there is something beautiful in that too if we are looking for it.
Here’s to pursuing a present, simple life by living intently and always remembering what matters and what doesn’t. Remember to give yourself grace and permission to enjoy the journey. I’m always in your corner, cheering you on, and pulling for you friend!
With love always, Madison
