“Nature is never static. It is always changing. Everything is in a constant state of flux. Nothing endures. Everything is in the process of either coming into being or expiring.”
― Kilroy J. Oldster
As this year draws to a close, it provides an opportunity for reflection on where we have been on our journeys through life and where we would like to go from this point forward.
Within these quiet moments of reflection, we learn that every season of life holds its own magic, its own heartache, and its own joy. Just like the natural world around us, each season of life offers change, beauty, death, and rebirth. As the wheel of life spins around and around, it moves us into new seasons—even as we do our best to resist—ultimately forcing us to grow, adapt, and accept the realities associated with change. The good news is that each of these seasons brings us gifts, lessons, and experiences that we can carry forward into the future to transform ourselves into better parents, employees, leaders, friends, siblings, or mentors.
When we step away from the busyness of life to think, we realize we are all explorers on a quest for answers as long as we remain here. In Little Gidding, a poem by T. S. Eliot, he teaches us that “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time.” When viewing ourselves as explorers, we invite ourselves to stop resisting and instead ride the waves of change throughout each season of life while expressing gratitude for the past and the wisdom we have gained from both our failures and successes.
No season is easy. Each holds its unique challenges and joys. During one season, we may grieve the loss of someone we loved more than we ever imagined possible. During an alternative season, we may find our soul mate and begin a new life together. Within another season, we may land a dream job that propels us onto a new and exciting career path or pack up our belongings and start again in a different city or country. Another season may bring the gift of a new addition to the family, a dream vacation, or the opportunity to give back or pay it forward. No matter what experiences accompany each season, we will learn, love, and find a way to press on.
Every season in the cycle of life provides us with the chance to follow our hearts, align our goals with our purpose, and rediscover who we really are deep inside (not who others want us to be). As the leaves drop off the trees and the geese fly south, snow covers the ground, the birds begin singing again, and beautiful flowers dot the landscape, we all transform as we endure heartache, laugh heartily, love fiercely, bravely overcome our fears, and take plunges into the unknown.
As this holiday season draws to a close, I hope that you will embrace this time and practice gratitude for the gifts, blessings, and wisdom you will now take with you as you move forward into the next season.
Be well, be happy, and most importantly, be you.
Vicky DeCoster is a Certified Life Coach based in Omaha, Nebraska, who specializes in helping her clients both locally and nationwide to move past obstacles, create a plan for happiness, and cross the bridge of transition to find a new and fulfilling direction in life. To read more about her and her practice, visit her at crossthebridgecoaching.com.
