AcceptanceI’ve got to be honest. I resist autumn. I just never want summer to end.

After many decades of living, you’d think I’d realize that resistance does no good. Summer ends, every year, no matter what. So this year, when I started to feel that resistance bubble up – I thought – time to try a new approach. Let go. Release the tension. Relax into the present moment. Open my heart to exactly what’s happening right now. Really sense it. Revel in the new smells, the change of light, and of course the colors of the leaves and grasses.

Summer was busy and full of activity – so much so that I started feeling out of balance. When I stopped to notice – this seasonal transition has been corresponding with a shift in my life from all that outward activity to more of an inner focus – less racing from one event to another – more introspective and quiet activities. Over the last month, without consciously deciding to do so, I’ve slowly been doing more studying, more meditating, more yoga, and more writing. Actually it feels really good. Is the rhythm of the seasonal change nudging me towards balance?

Embracing ChangePerhaps the transition to fall – something I historically dread – is actually my friend – or a kind mother gently guiding me towards the next phase of growth. When I finally stop resisting what is – and I fully embrace the present moment – I discover I’m in love with fall after all. I just had to work through the change – the transition.

Of course this is a metaphor for all of life. It’s the transitions into change that are hard. The change itself – once I get used to it – always comes with gifts if I’m open to receiving them. The gifts of the moment are available and waiting if I stop putting my energy into resisting what is.

I’m a creature of habit and so I am sure the resistance to change will come again. But I’ve got a plan for the next time I notice this resistance:

  1. Notice my attitude/thoughts of resistance to what is happening.
  2. Bring awareness into my body and look for any corresponding body tension.
  3. Breathe into that tension. (Breathe into the body tension, breathe into the tension of the thought).
  4. Relax the body on the exhale. Release any resistance to what is. Let go into the present moment.
  5. Repeat as necessary.
  6. Bring awareness to the present moment by focusing on the senses: what I see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.
  7. Repeat as necessary.

~Sue Hardman-Conklin

Questions to Ponder:

  1. Is change easy for you, or do you tend to resist it?
  2. Are there inevitable events in your life that happen every year that you’ve come to dread and resist? If so, what would happen if you let go of resistance to what is inevitable? Would you have more energy?