Fall colors & musings

Fall for me is that time of the year when nature & the rhythm of life begin to slow down in most obvious ways. Other than spring, is there any other time of the year when nature changes so dramatically? One day can be very different from the next & the view of colors seems to change from day to day.

 The landscape on my little patch of land is very different than a couple of weeks ago & the colors hature displays are already incredible! 

I am also very aware that this is the season of Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. This year, in particular, I am making a concentrated effort to be even more mindful of all the beauty that surrounds us, the appreciation I have toward my family & friends, my animal companions & the gift of health.

There are so many seemingly insurmountable problems in our world today. Ebola, climate change, species extinction, poverty, economic inequity, energy constraints, resource rape of our earth, lack of personal integrity & fascism replacing capitalism in the US government. All weighing heavily on any aware person's mind. If I allow myself to become too heavily focused on any of these issues, life can become a very heavy burden to bear. Then I walk outside & look at Nature's beauty, take a deep breath

& decide to retreat from the world mankind has created & instead feed my thoughts on what is right in front of me-life, beauty, peace. Positive aspects to my life.

I used to read the morning paper every day. I wanted to be 'informed' & aware of world events. Now I no longer read newspapers, but look at news online & read some websites.However lately I find that I am reducing further my attention to these sources of news. Seems there is much more bad news about issues I can't possibly do anything about. And this effects me in a very debilitating manner. I have zero faith that the "decision makers" have the common mans' interest at heart & definitely not the earth's interest. Civilization keeps marching ever toward the cliff, just like lemmings. What is the average person to do?

My hope is that I will feed my goal of being more in the now & more positive. I am trying to deliberately limit my exposure to negativity, focus inward & locally & concentrate my efforts towards things that hopefully I can contribute toward to bring about some meaningful change. 

There is a Native American story about what you choose to feed by your thoughts & actions will grow. If you no longer give time, energy or thought to an issue, the issue will decline & starve from lack of attention. So today, let us all try to consciously "feed" whatever inspires, nourishes & contributes to our own well being. 

Whether that is to sit in the sun on a porch & gaze at Nature's beauty or watching chickens peacefully search for that elusive bug. 

Beauty is all around us & just for today, right now, may we be wise enough to actually SEE all these gifts freely offered.