As the days shorten and the temperature slowly begins to drop I have found myself filled with gratitude for these cool Autumn days. The sunset and golden-hued leaves filling the trees and chilly evenings gathered with friends around a bonfire have been a welcome respite. Prior to this, I grumbled for weeks on end about Summer’s heat and humidity, almost as though verbalizing my discontent would somehow will Autumn into existence.

This is nothing new. I eagerly await the start of Fall each year–telling myself all the ways life will be better once the season changes. ‘When Fall is here I’ll start hiking again, I’ll go apple picking, I’ll wear my coziest sweatshirts, I’ll spend evenings on the patio enjoying the fresh air.’ The list goes on and yet, this year a somewhat sheepish awareness has taken root in me…

When the Summer heat begins to swelter, I look ahead to the cooling balm of Fall–as the novelty of Fall is lost to the busyness of life, I look ahead to the holiday cheer of Winter–as the bleak, chill of Winter persists, I look ahead to the colors and warmth of Spring–as the stormy weather of Spring wears on me, I look ahead to the constant sunshine of Summer–then, the cycle repeats.

The reminder to stay present as the seasons change is one that offers us value far beyond its literal sentiment. This reminder extends to the seasons of life as well. Each season brings its own unique set of gifts and challenges. Initially, we are acutely aware of the gifts a new season brings, but over time we can become desensitized to them. At a certain point we start noticing the challenges of the season we’re in and begin wishing for the gifts of the next season to hurry up and get here. Our impatience for the next thing to begin doesn’t bring it any quicker–so what would happen if we fully soaked in where we’re at and allowed things to unfold around us?

The thing is, when we learn to appreciate the ever-changing seasons of life, we can look toward the future with excitement and savor the moments unique to where we’re at now. For example, “I’m grateful for the opportunity Winter brings to slow down because I know that Summer will be filled with things to do and places to go.” Or, “I am grateful for the time my child wants to spend with me because I know that as they grow older they will have other people they want to spend time with.”

As a caveat, please remember that practicing mindfulness and gratitude for the present doesn’t mean minimizing or invalidating the challenges we may be facing in that moment. The goal of the here-and-now mindset is to recognize that even in hardships, there are good things still happening, even if it’s just in small ways, like the leaves changing colors in the trees to remind us that the next season is coming.

Words by Amy Mitchell, LPC at The Healing Academy

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