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.