Nature as Teacher

SEPTEMBER 2019

What is the color of September?
 
I say gold.

I say the color of goldenrod and marigolds, afternoon sunlight
​ and the gentle touch of yellow on maple leaves.
 
It’s the afternoon of summer, the turning of the seasons.
 
Endings and beginnings…
 
Letting go, making room for something new…
 
How does a leaf know when to change color?
How do the raptors know exactly when to head south?
How do the monarch butterflies know when to hatch?
 

They seem highly attuned to the slightest change in temperature,
light, sound and scent. Clearly, they’re guided by an inner knowing.
 
It’s afternoon as I write. A catbird calls from a nearby branch and receives a distant reply. A rabbit quietly munches greens at the edge of the yard. Crickets are beginning to chirp. The sun is already dropping below the trees, casting a golden glow across the yard.
 
“The lighting is beautiful right now,” says my 19 year-old-son Noah
​ as he walks by, journal in hand.

He’ll be going back to college soon. He’s recently discovered that journaling can be an effective way to process all the conflicting thoughts and feelings that arise as he prepares for change.
 
He searched his room and found the empty journal with the soft black leather cover his grandfather gave him. Now he’s off on a new adventure with a new friend.
 
“How do you feel after journaling?” I ask him.
“Great, clear,” he says.
 
I’m always amazed by what happens when I put pen to paper.
 
I had a whole different plan for this month’s blog and then nature drew me in!

Nature as teacher
 
Writing as a tool to lead us back to the power of NOW
 
I highly recommend putting pen to paper this month. Inspired by my son who was inspired by his friend Xander, I’m going to commit to journaling each day during September.
 
Would you like to join me?
 
All it takes is a pen and paper. Perhaps one day you’ll write pages, another….. a sentence or two, another…. one word.
 
 Simply putting pen to paper is enough! See what happens!
 
Wishing you clear sailing,
 
Blessings,
 
Deborah