My favorite season!
My Shelly sent this to me today and it rings so true for me so I'm sharing it here. I know I haven't been posting much lately...I'll try to do better. :)
"FALL"
The season we know as Fall has always been a favorite of mine. I like the refreshing chill in the air, the white sunlight, the changing leaves, apples, pumpkins, harvest festivals, all of it. Even the gray chill of the Autumn rain has a different feel to it that I find more stimulating than oppressive.
Beyond the season, it may be interesting to think of the word fall and what it means to us.
Fall down
Fall back
Fall for
Fall over
Fall under
Fall in
Fall from
In all of the above instances, regardless of how you complete the phrases, fall signifies a loss of control of some kind. One of the most common nightmares is a feeling of falling. Some of the funniest scenes are when someone slips and falls. We relate. We may say 'ouch' or 'oh no!' and then we laugh.
It's not the painful end result that people find funny, but all of the gyrations that we may go through to save ourselves before the final splat. We don't laugh at a broken arm or leg or someone moaning in pain. We laugh at the shock and absurdity of the loss of control. Someone might say, "You should have seen yourself!"
Years ago I was running in the freezing rain to my dad's jeep when without warning I slipped and slid underneath it. When I hauled myself up Dad was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. He said, "Are you alright? You were there and suddenly you disappeared!"
As long as we're not hurt, we may also wind up laughing at the temporary feeling of being out of control, almost as if it is a release. There are of course plenty of examples of falls that are not amusing. Some are horrifying and tragic. Others may leave us feeling fearful, off balance, unsure of ourselves, perhaps desperate. Still others may result in challenges that may seem almost insurmountable.
Spiritual and emotional falls can be just as agonizing as the physical variety. Sometimes the repercussions from them can last even longer. When we experience a spiritual or an emotional tumble, we may think that we must face these alone and that no one can catch us. We often either don't ask for or don't accept help. Yet when our faith or our ego hits bottom and goes "splat" we may need plenty of assistance to regain our balance and perspective.
There is a trust building team exercise in which someone has to voluntarily fall backwards and trust the team to catch him or her before hitting the floor. When we fall spiritually or emotionally, we may wish that we had such a trusted team to catch us on the way down.
Whether we realize it or not, each of us does have a team that is willing to catch us before we hit rock bottom. The fact that we are still here despite the falls we have taken during the course of our lives is evidence of that. Some team members are obvious to us and others are unseen. Some may have appeared momentarily and lifted us up with a thought, word, or action that made the difference. Others have caught us with an attitude, a memory, or a prayer that helped us pull ourselves to our feet when it seemed that no one was there.
One of the things I like about Fall is the changing colors of the leaves. They are truly beautiful, but they eventually fall from the branches to the ground. Some see them as a mess, others see them as mulch. Still others understand that they fall because the bud of a new leaf is forming deep within the branch.
Try this exercise in Fall gratitude:
With every leaf you see falling this season, say thank you for something associated with falling.
Say thank you for the times that you fell and someone caught you.
for the times when someone was there to lend a hand.
for laughter that you shared.
for the time you were able to catch someone else.
for the time you fell and a bud of opportunity was formed as a result.
for the time you lost control and found a new horizon.
All of us have literally or figuratively experienced a fall, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. And like any other out of control experience in life, we still have the power to decide what we will do with the results.
Have a great day and be good to yourself. You deserve it!
"FALL"
The season we know as Fall has always been a favorite of mine. I like the refreshing chill in the air, the white sunlight, the changing leaves, apples, pumpkins, harvest festivals, all of it. Even the gray chill of the Autumn rain has a different feel to it that I find more stimulating than oppressive.
Beyond the season, it may be interesting to think of the word fall and what it means to us.
Fall down
Fall back
Fall for
Fall over
Fall under
Fall in
Fall from
In all of the above instances, regardless of how you complete the phrases, fall signifies a loss of control of some kind. One of the most common nightmares is a feeling of falling. Some of the funniest scenes are when someone slips and falls. We relate. We may say 'ouch' or 'oh no!' and then we laugh.
It's not the painful end result that people find funny, but all of the gyrations that we may go through to save ourselves before the final splat. We don't laugh at a broken arm or leg or someone moaning in pain. We laugh at the shock and absurdity of the loss of control. Someone might say, "You should have seen yourself!"
Years ago I was running in the freezing rain to my dad's jeep when without warning I slipped and slid underneath it. When I hauled myself up Dad was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. He said, "Are you alright? You were there and suddenly you disappeared!"
As long as we're not hurt, we may also wind up laughing at the temporary feeling of being out of control, almost as if it is a release. There are of course plenty of examples of falls that are not amusing. Some are horrifying and tragic. Others may leave us feeling fearful, off balance, unsure of ourselves, perhaps desperate. Still others may result in challenges that may seem almost insurmountable.
Spiritual and emotional falls can be just as agonizing as the physical variety. Sometimes the repercussions from them can last even longer. When we experience a spiritual or an emotional tumble, we may think that we must face these alone and that no one can catch us. We often either don't ask for or don't accept help. Yet when our faith or our ego hits bottom and goes "splat" we may need plenty of assistance to regain our balance and perspective.
There is a trust building team exercise in which someone has to voluntarily fall backwards and trust the team to catch him or her before hitting the floor. When we fall spiritually or emotionally, we may wish that we had such a trusted team to catch us on the way down.
Whether we realize it or not, each of us does have a team that is willing to catch us before we hit rock bottom. The fact that we are still here despite the falls we have taken during the course of our lives is evidence of that. Some team members are obvious to us and others are unseen. Some may have appeared momentarily and lifted us up with a thought, word, or action that made the difference. Others have caught us with an attitude, a memory, or a prayer that helped us pull ourselves to our feet when it seemed that no one was there.
One of the things I like about Fall is the changing colors of the leaves. They are truly beautiful, but they eventually fall from the branches to the ground. Some see them as a mess, others see them as mulch. Still others understand that they fall because the bud of a new leaf is forming deep within the branch.
Try this exercise in Fall gratitude:
With every leaf you see falling this season, say thank you for something associated with falling.
Say thank you for the times that you fell and someone caught you.
for the times when someone was there to lend a hand.
for laughter that you shared.
for the time you were able to catch someone else.
for the time you fell and a bud of opportunity was formed as a result.
for the time you lost control and found a new horizon.
All of us have literally or figuratively experienced a fall, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. And like any other out of control experience in life, we still have the power to decide what we will do with the results.
Have a great day and be good to yourself. You deserve it!
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