Goodbye another Summer

Your rays lifted my moods
when grey clouds reined.
Strong beams sustained me
through languid days.

Tides roll out
Autumn colors waiting to meet
others long for your warmth
while I welcome sweet relief.

If these melancholic words sound familiar it’s because I wrote them this time last year, on the last day of summer. It had been a hot and humid season and I was relishing the prospect of cooler days.

My life was languishing. Job prospects were low, my mood was up and down, grief still had a hold and my horizons weren’t clear. Aside from a planned road trip mid year my intentions were obscure.

What a difference a year makes.

Fast forward to today, twelve months later and my world feels entirely different.

Today I feel more sure of myself and what I want to achieve.

I feel more calm and centred and more focused than I have in a long time.

Don’t get me wrong. I still have my off days, who doesn’t, but when I wake up now I make a conscious decision to focus on what I have, what I can work towards, on what is still to come.

I’ve immersed myself in an intensive online training course which is challenging me. I’ve made new connections that are propelling me forward and I’ve got articles out there waiting to be published and proposals in the pipeline.

Travel is currently on hold with hub constantly interstate for work but I’m grateful for what we’ve already done this summer.

We saw the first sunrise of the year at Yanakie and we’ve camped in some beautiful places, with more to come.

But summer wasn’t just about getting out and about.

It was a time of coming full circle for me as finally we’re selling mum’s house, my old family home, an inevitable but emotional decision.

There’s so much change in my life at the moment.

So much movement in the air.

But that’s the cycle of life isn’t it? Familiarity is our comfort zone but it’s the challenges that we grow through that bring the biggest changes.

It reminds me that everything has a season and a reason. And that in time everything passes and through it we grow and lessons are learned.

And we move on.

This morning, on the last balmy day of summer, I walked the same route with Harry that I walk most days.

The path is the same but there’s always something different along the way. Changing reflections in the water, abundant bird-life in the wetlands, new people to say hello to and a different sky above me.

Nothing stays the same, that’s the law of nature.

Clouds shift, birds move on, new songs are sung and the winds of change keep blowing.

It’s in the little details that we find joy.

This conversation I had with my 17yo son this morning sums up the general vibe in my household at the moment.

I’ve been on a decluttering mission lately and, in the car he noticed the sleeping bags on the back seat, waiting to be taken to the Op Shop.

Daniel: Why are you taking these to the Op shop?

Me: They’re not useful any more. They’re lightweight and small.

Daniel: That doesn’t really define our family right now does it?

Whoah!

Love the air of optimism and positivity that surrounds me.

Life feels expansive and BIG and I’ll admit it, a bit scary. There’s a lot of unknown territory in front of me right now but, unlike in the past, I won’t let fear stop me from stepping out.

On the contrary, I feel more motivated than ever.

I hope you can feel it. I hope you can feel the momentum of the year as the energy propels us out of one cycle and into another.

Seasons change through nature and, like nature, we change with them, it’s inevitable. Whatever you’re going through in your life, know that it’s for a reason and it’s fleeting.

If it’s good savour it, relish every second, and if it hurts, know it will pass.