Living in the Pacific Northwest, one of the aspects I truly cherish is the beautiful transition of seasons. The seasonal changes in this region always bring about a rejuvenation within me, offering a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of vitality. Regardless of my past successes or failures, the cyclical nature of the seasons provides me with regular opportunities to start anew, which greatly benefits my mental well-being. As we currently progress into fall, the days are gradually shortening, the mornings are becoming crisper, and the fishing conditions are ideal. September marks the commencement of autumn in the magnificent Pacific Northwest, making it a perfect time for a fresh start.
Spring and summer of this year brought significant changes into my life. I underwent a career transition, witnessed my children getting married, faced new challenges from various angles, and encountered a whirlwind of transformations. It felt like every aspect of my life was being tossed around in a washing machine. The experience was a mix of excitement, pain, fun, and agony all rolled into one. However, the outcome was positive as I emerged as a better individual, with increased patience, love, and empathy towards others, and a newfound commitment to always opt for kindness.*
During stressful periods, I came to realize that I always had a choice in how I treated others. Throughout these past two seasons, I made both poor and good choices. By the end of summer, I concluded that consistently choosing kindness was the best decision for me. Whether this was a lesson from the universe or a series of random events, I strongly believe that embracing kindness was the key takeaway from these recent seasons. It was a tough lesson, but one that I now proudly incorporate into my daily life.
Fall is one of my favorite seaons! It is a beautiful time for a fresh start.
As summer winds down and the scent of fall fills the air, I am preparing for a fresh beginning. I am not waiting until January to make my New Year's resolutions; instead, they will align with the onset of the fall season. While September 22nd marks the official start of fall in 2024, I am going with my instincts on this one. The current atmosphere feels like fall to me, so I have set September 14th as the official start date for my resolutions. Equipped with the lessons learned from the past two seasons, I have a renewed perspective on life and am looking forward to what lies ahead. I anticipate this fall to be the most magnificent one I have ever experienced!
*(On a side note, I am a firm believer in observing the events, actions, and general feel of life around me to see if I am in balance. These past two seasons I have felt out of balance, so that is when I start looking for what I needed to change to get back into a better state of being. Usually it takes me a while to figure it out, but when I look back on past events a pattern will usually emerge. In this case the pattern I noticed was one of choosing the wrong attitude when faced with adversity. I was put to this test several times, and choosing any option other than kindness seemed to always be the wrong decision. When I started choosing kindness, my world found its balance again very quickly. So hopefully I will reamain in balance for a while now!)