Seasons change and so must we. Do we embrace or resist the inevitable?
My dogs embrace the transition to autumn – the cooler air and scents of wildlife moving about in my woods. I, on the other hand, resist it all. I pile on the blankets at night and don’t want to climb out of bed in the morning. I wear layers and layers in my house and have already donned hat and gloves outdoors. No, it’s not really cold. Just wait until January – but I find myself clinging to the warmth of summer. (OK, that was a mixed blessing for so many this summer – I am not insensitive – but here we had SO much rain and only lovely little blocks of our usual.)
But the big picture is how we react to change that is going to happen no matter what we do or how we feel about it. The leaves WILL fall and the furnace WILL eventually kick on. May I offer a few suggestions?
*Step outside our comfort zones – maybe daily, maybe weekly but make it a point to define what a comfort zone is and search for ways to tiptoe outside. Today, for example, I varied my usual morning trail walk with Sophie and Lizzie and went deeper into the woods past tall ledges that might, yes, truly might, house bears. No sightings. Phew. Maybe stepping outside means having a difficult conversation, or finishing a project, or committing to something – anything. It could be the usual – embark on a new sport or do something extreme or dangerous. But its doesn’t need to be huge. It’s just knowingly and purposefully stepping over that line.
*Speaking of outside – do we GO outside EVERY day? For some, this is a no-brainer. If we are fortunate enough to live in a place where outdoor space is abundant and welcoming, well, we are fortunate and therefore have no reason not to open that door and venture out. If we work outdoors, even if we need to get to our cars, or have dogs that need to be walked – again, fortunate. But sometimes we do need to pick ourselves up and spend time in outdoor awareness, noticing the terrain, feeling the air, observing the surroundings and listening. One of the advantages (yes, I count this as advantage) of having a dog is that he or she absolutely must go outside. Opening the door and granting pee time is not enough. Our furry friends need exercise so outside it is – rain, snow, sleet, hail – or so the saying goes. Invariably, we find that even the worst weather conditions offer their own benefits.
*Sign up for something. Take a course. Join a study group. Buy a challenging book. I am one who continues to study anything and everything about my work from listening to Podcasts to reading newly published books to online classes and training. But that’s easy. Taking a course in something a little different, is where I push myself. Recently I completed a highly recommended and deeply valued 6-week Lovingkindness meditation training program with the Vermont Zen Center https://vermontzen.org/ Adding this work to my daily habits has been a game-changer. I also pushed myself in a different but similar direction and joined a book club – even though I needed to bring a potluck dish each month – and for someone who does not cook, this was daunting! Through this group I am nudged to read books I would not otherwise have chosen and then be prepared to discuss, agree, disagree and hone my social skills.
*Reach out. Reach out to family and friends near and far. Visit, engage, text, Zoom, whatever. I really need to work on this. Do we get too busy to remember someone? Never. But sometimes we fail to let our loved ones know. And do we listen when we do connect?
*And just one more suggestion from me – surely you will have oh so many more to add – enhance our daily practice of checking in with ourselves, experiencing gratitude (note – I did not suggest using words to express gratitude but to actually embody gratitude), perhaps spending a few minutes in silence or journaling. Some of us are familiar with Julia Cameron’s The Artists Way. Talk about life altering! This is a 12 week study complete with daily and weekly assignments and is worth every minute. I first heard of this course from a favorite podcaster, Rich Roll, and have since found many who I respect have nothing but high praise for Cameron’s work. (One is Elizabeth Gilbert who claims that to this day she writes her “morning pages” and that her Eat, Pray, Love would never have been written had she not done The Artists Way first. When I read this, I thought ‘If it’s good enough for Elizabeth Gilbert, it’s good enough for me!’)
Borrowing once again from a favorite writer, Arthur Brooks, (paraphrasing from memory but you’ll get the gist), check in with a daily pyramid suggested by the Dalai Lama of first making sure we can define and live in accordance with our moral values, then spending some time in meditation, and finally reading wisdom. (From Strength to Strength, Arthur C. Brooks, (2022) And you might also like his new book, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, Build the Life You Want, The Art and Science of Getting Happier (2023) – trust me, not ‘just’ a self-help book!)
Enough? Probably never enough! But yes, we can flip it and embrace change, welcome the newness of each season, anticipate the possibilities and engage in that which touches the very edges of our lives. Happy Autumn from Vermont.
The month of August falls squarely in the middle of the Five Element cycle*. According to Gail Reichstein, Wood Becomes Water, Chinese Medicine In Everyday Life, “Earth is considered the prime stabilizing force.” Think also of the season, a time that brings spring’s seeds and summer’s growth to fruition, harvest, plenty. Think Mother Earth, nurturing, nourishing, balancing, accumulating, allowing and perhaps even sustaining deeply rooted hope. In today’s world of daily disasters, atrocities and frenetic technology, it is good to step back for a few moments and simply to be.
Recently I have stepped outside my comfort zone to join a book club led by my friend Ana del Rosal (
One of my favorite things to do is practice framing and reframing. I use the latter for problem solving and the former to capture scenes when I choose to take a leisurely walk to simply enjoy the beautiful state in which I live. Yes, ok, I get it. When I actually click the button on my phone to take a picture and not simply file in my memory, yes, ok, I have not turned my cell phone off.
Today was one of those days – serious rain followed by sun then by clouds then by hot sun then by a good drenching while the sun was shining then by thunder and a downpour then by bright sun …..But walk we did. Coming upon a road closure with two Labs on leash was a real find! Even the invasives are gorgeous as they thrive. Driving home from the local market I was forced to stop to capture the view. Letting my girls play in the beaver pond was so breathtaking, I just had to whip out the phone … and you know what followed.
Enjoy. Love from Sophie, Lizzie and me
Watching as the world around us transition from season to season circling the year’s clock face, pass through clearly defined phases and then reconnect to begin again is a lesson in change, adaptation, and light. Yes, light. If we look – really look – with our physical eyes, inner sight, mental clarity and creative vision, we learn lessons that support and sustain us as we move forward.
Last weekend here in Vermont we were flooded with gorgeous, brilliant colors topped with a dusting of snow on our highest peaks. This weekend we are Past Peak and Still Beautiful. As I noted this on my walk, I was startled to realize that this is a meaningful concept indeed! How often do we admire an antique, painting, vintage clothing or older friend? How much do we appreciate the athlete who has transitioned from the prime days of record-breaking achievement to an athlete who, with maturity, coaches, writes, and reaches out with shared skills?
Is any of this less? Perhaps the transition itself is the learning curve to land experience as something useful rather than degenerative.
Arthur C. Brooks is a popular author whose latest book is From Strength to Strength, Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. I’m taking my time with this one as there are gems on each, page. You might also enjoy this podcast conversation of Brooks with Rich Roll: 
Within the principles of the Five Element Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, we have fully entered the time of year associated with the Metal Element and find ourselves involved with the process of refining, honoring wisdom and self-knowledge. (Past Peak but Still Beautiful?) As Gail Reichstein writes in her excellent book, Wood Becomes Water, Chinese Medicine in Everyday Life, the emotion associated with this time of year is grief. “Grief also teaches us what we value in our lives and in the lives of others, giving us the opportunity to redirect our energies toward becoming who we most want to be.”
The Green Mountain National Forest, and more specifically the Camel’s Hump State Forest, are just outside my door. It is therefore no surprise that black bears, who find this an ideal setting in which to live, breed and raise their young, are my next-door neighbors. For the most part, they are good neighbors. They have yet to knock on my door, but they have walked within yards of my home. They keep going, though, as there is nothing to tempt them and, if she notices, my chocolate Lab, Sophie, will make quite a fuss.
But let me go back to some of what I have learned. First of all, here in Vermont, we have BLACK bears. I first learned this a few years ago. I was hiking a 4000’ trail in New Hampshire on a day when there were very few cars parked on the lot below so allowed Sophie to hike off leash. At one point she ran just ahead of me, around a sharp turn, and I heard a voice shout – “OH (expletive-expletive)! If this is a bear, I’m dead!” (Note, Sophie is effusive in her greetings.) Within seconds several other young male voices laughed and teased the first male and began to play with Sophie. One reminded him that if, in fact, this had been a brown bear, he would be dead.
Which brings me back to my Mama Bear story. In 2000, I found myself unexpectedly single and in Santa Fe with my daughter who had just graduated from high school. It was meant to be a family celebration but became something much different. With my daughter’s help, I connected with the strength that I would need to go forward and recognized that the small, stone bear I purchased had special significance for me and for the years ahead. In Native American tradition, bears symbolize physical strength, leadership and are known as the “first helper.” Bear paws are a symbol representing inner strength. My new little figurine of a Zuni bear signifies The Guardian of the Earth. A heart-line arrow going from head to heart symbolizes a warrior’s heart, strong like the bear’s. If no longer a wife, I would be forever a Mama Bear. Today my bear sits on my desk next to my computer monitor. It has traveled many miles and through many situations since the year 2000.
I return to the Mama Bear identity one last time. Perusing the internet I found one statement in an ad for what was dubbed a Mama Bear fleece, that stated: “tough mamas maximize every day.” I also landed on this: “The real definition: A mama bear is a mama with boundaries. A woman who parents the best way she can, for her child, and a woman who doesn’t apologize for her choices. A mama bear is a woman who asserts herself in any way as a parent. She says ‘no’”. Mama Bear. I’ll take it.
Note: I take issue with this survey of black bears in Vermont! The bears in my neighborhood stroll, unconcerned, across patios and along country roads. By later in the summer, when readily available food in the woods is not so readily available, “our” bears have no problem searching dumpsters, around outdoor grills and even through an open door if they happen upon one. However, I do live in a region where bears find a natural habitat. 
For three decades my habitat was a studio. Not just any studio, mind you, but two distinctly different and amazing studios. First, there was the studio in Baltimore. I began ballet lessons with the reigning royalty of classical ballet, Carol Lynn, way way back when I was just 4 years old. Miss Lynn’s kingdom was the huge ground level studio in the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Dance Department. Miss Lynn was respected far and wide as a leading expert and to study with her was deemed a privilege. The studio space was from another epoch. Gorgeous, worn wooden floors vibrated with the energy of movement over a century. Three story high windows needed to be raised and lowered with a 20-foot-long pole – or longer, I can’t really remember. Needless to say, the ceiling was waaaaaay up there. Massive mirrors covered one entire wall. A balcony lined another wall for visitors and critics. A graduate student from the Conservatory piano department accompanied classes on the baby grand in the corner. One door led to an open marble hallway and another to dressing rooms that in turn led to a courtyard. It was magical. I left this studio in my early teens to study in NYC where another old and fabulously worn studio became my home.
Though I continue to teach and write, and though I continue to spend hours each day in physical activity, I now do so with the constant reminder of the outdoors connection. Possibly, it is why we live in Vermont. The outdoors is safe. The outdoors is clean. The outdoors is free.
Community has been redefined. Even the tiniest connection – a phone call or text, photo or face time, card or package – is duly appreciated forging bonds replacing tenuous strands. And in my own small (there’s that word again) world of Zoom, those minutes of unmuted video before and after a teacher-led practice are golden; they are fun and sensitive and compelling moments of genuine community.
August is a month of vacations that have been saved for last, a month of summer sports team finals, a month of lazy afternoons, cool nights, fireflies and T-storms. It is also a month when I walk my dog in the predawn darkness and am surprised to find the wooded trails closing in well before an earlier sunset. It is a time of growing anticipation for the back to school crowd and an almost panicked dash to fit in that paddle, climb, swim, century or rail trail that seemed a sure thing in May.
But, please, stop. Take a deep breath. You’ve got this. If you find yourself treading water, get swimming! August is dignified. It does not push us into a frenzy. But it says, if you want to do ______________, get organized and just do it. July suggests an infinite number of minutes and even hours. August says, “not so.” But August is not stingy. The daylight and conditions beckon and sustain.
This afternoon as I walked a country road giving my pup and me a quiet day sandwiched between last week and next, I deliberately looked for signs of change. The grasses are more lush, goldenrod is beginning to burst forth, and soon enough the fields of corn will produce sweet ears to savor. OK, that’s good. That’s something that is better than July.
August was so named in 8 BC because of Augustus Ceasar. But I prefer to consider a few words from the definition of the word itself: respected, celebrated, honored. Don’t you agree that to respect this month, to celebrate each day’s opportunity, and to honor our well-being and those with whom we share space – that these might be better concepts to apply to this fruitful month? And, perhaps now, today, not tomorrow or next week, is the very time to take a second look at how we are living our own uniquely individual summer experiences. Avoid regrets, drop everything you can, and indulge in the season. Happy August.