It’s that time of year again….CHANGE. For most people, change is scary and therefore it’s human nature to avoid it as much as possible, particularly if things are already good. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. If it’s good, why change it? But the seasons serve to remind us that change is inevitable year in, year out, whether it’s something we choose or not, change is always a part of life.
Currently we are welcoming autumn as summer made its hasty retreat. As I walk my dog across my local farmer’s fields of an evening, ‘change’ is impossible to miss. The fields where once wheat and corn blew gently in the evening breeze as the crystal blue sky faded gently to soft hues of peach whilst the glowing sun began to set, now just harsh spikes remain from the slashed stalks of the crop, underneath a grey, angry and darkening sky. In the fields where sheep once grazed, the wind now whips across the baron land, the odd wisps of dancing wool caught in the barbed wire fencing, provide the only clues that they were even here. The temperature all around, so much lower than we’ve been used to, coupled with the cold wind is all a harsh reminder that change is unavoidable.
For some, I understand that the transition from summer to autumn can be a depressing time. Colder weather and darker nights steer us toward the runway to winter. For others however, autumn is their favourite time of year. The turning of a page, chance for a fresh start and brand new chapter. For the past few years I’ve really tried to look at autumn with a greater positivity. Less mourning of a summer gone by with dread of the dark mornings and evenings to follow and more appreciation of the beauty autumnal changes can bring. I find this appreciation is much easier when you are actually out and about in nature and with your thoughts, as I am when with my dog. As the temperatures drop and the aggressive wind increases its speed, autumn can come across as almost angry. The trees are shaken, the clouds are pushed energetically through the skies, fields are baron and the ground beneath our feet becomes littered with natures debris. Yet, arguably autumn is also one of the most beautiful seasons. It’s richness of colour in a wood or forest, such a variety of greens turning to yellows, oranges, reds and purples with meandering pathways carpeted in golden leaves, emits a warmth and beauty which can often take your breath away. A freshly ploughed field cleansed of its burden of growing its wares, can feel strangely invigorating.
The trees, those big fellas, the mighty oak and the horse chestnut, littering the ground with the fruits of their labour, the acorn and the conker. Memories of being a child at school at this time of year flood back. How fabulous it was to find an acorn still in its cup or those inevitable conker championships with the biggest shiner you can find.
Then there are the wardrobe changes that we all go through; the coats come out, sometimes with the surprise of something long forgotten but now rediscovered in a pocket. The flip flops and summer pumps get packed away for next year as we rekindle the more sturdy footwear….and SOCKS, oh I love socks! The fashion brands inform us of all we need for this coming season as any blue skies lie about the temperature outside! Even the air smells different, almost overnight, fresh and clean.
This tidal wave of change automatically sweeps us along. Yet sometimes, we see something to remind us that it’s ok to go against the grain…
Walking through a field which once flourished with wheat, I spotted this rape seed flower, in fact, there were several of them sporadically across the field. The flowers flourished in full bloom of the brightest yellows whilst their fresh and rich green leaves were dancing in the evening wind.
The seeds of these random plants had obviously been dropped by a bird or from the farm machinery when the crop was harvested, perhaps even blown there on a gust but either way, certainly not planted intentionally. Yet these plants still grew, far away from each other, their only neighbours were the chopped dead stalks of the once tall, golden wheat.
It occurred to me that these plants didn’t realise that they’re late or out of season, they grew anyway.
They didn’t care that they stood alone, they grew anyway.
Their uncomfortable surroundings didn’t hinder or prevent them, they grew anyway.
They didn’t care that the fruits of their labour may never be harvested, they grew anyway.
These plants provide a lesson just as great and powerful as the changing of our seasons. A lesson of how we should never give up. Something may not be the right time for the rest of the world but if it’s the right time for us, then we should continue to follow our path, our destiny. We should continue to grow, to flourish, against all the odds of whatever is going on around us, achieving what we know we are capable of, what we were born to do. We should not let a hostile environment or the negativity of our surroundings dampen our intentions. If the storms we must weather are greater than they could’ve been, then this serves us to be tougher, to try harder.
It made me wonder how many of us could learn from these lowly little plants if we just took the time to notice them. We all have a path to follow, but how many of us worry that maybe it’s not the right time or too late now, we’ve missed the boat? Perhaps we think that we can’t possibly flourish whilst our environment is not perfect?
Be brave…..do it anyway! Like these plants, be bright, be strong and grow. Autumn teaches us that it’s ok to change and to move forward. In these random rape seed plants there is another lesson, one that teaches us that it’s ok to be different and even to arrive late, just so long as we remain true to ourselves and follow our destiny!
There is no better time than right now, our beautiful autumn with all it’s change, to remind ourselves that from tiny acorns…..mighty oak trees can grow.
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