Just last week a wonderfully gorgeous day surprised us in Waterloo. Hurricane Sandy had passed (though the effects still deeply linger), the US Presidential elections were over (yes, these events do impact us Canadians!) and the 27 days of rain in October gave way to a beautifully sunny day with the most crisp and clean air. Carlie and I savoured the joy of walking the back field with the frost licking our feet (well, my boots!) and breathing in deeply the purity of the early morning air. What a gift! My chest naturally expanded to take in this pure morning air as my body seemed to know it was the best of the best in great air.
I noticed that most of the leaves had fallen to the ground and that Nature was entering dormancy. Moreover, there was no stress about the transition from summer growth and harvest and to the late fall of letting go. Nature is drawing into Herself to rest and replenish. This time of replenishment is vital in the natural world – for the trees to create the stunning surprises of colour and birth of spring; for the plants and flowers to paint the landscape of our gardens and fields with vibrancy and new hope that always comes with spring.
We too need time to retreat, to gather inward, to contemplate, to relax. Creativity is only spectacular when we honour its cycle and rhythm within us. We lose the sacredness of our creativity if we create and create and create, dismissing the season of late fall, of letting go of what we no longer need (even if it was good)! We simply can’t hold onto everything.
As we walked across the frosty field, I gathered my grandmothers, my teachers who inspired me to be creative in my self-expression and I asked them what I need to stop holding onto and simply let fall away. Carlie romped joyfully with a big stick in her mouth. She was letting go with ease. And for me….well, I heard, ‘let go of the summer sun.’ It took a moment before a breath of acceptance reached into my belly.
Now, that wisdom may have unique meaning to each of us. What connects us to a common wisdom, however, is that if we can’t let go of the ‘summer sun’, our creativity will eventually become overgrown and smother itself. Declutter something this week. Let something go. Stop holding onto something so hard and relax into a breath of replenishment.