One night this late-August week, it was 48° F! This cooler, crisp air is a reminder of the changes that underlie and create the natural world around us. Change is always underway. Always there. It just becomes more visible for many parts of the world at this time of year.
Whether we realize it or not, perhaps our minds are already preoccupied with a potential barrage of questions that often accompany the summer to fall season changes…
Will we get more “beach days”? Sometimes we think this even if we don’t actually go to the beach. Does the time change Spring forward or Fall forward? What about all those projects that I wanted to do before winter? How will my view from the window change? I wonder what weather predictions are for this winter? How might it impact my daily routines? What is traffic going to be like now that school is back in session?
You know the questions. Together, we could make a long list.
It’s a sure bet that these changes don’t worry about us.
We see the changes, or we miss seeing them and say that the changes snuck up on us this year. Depending upon where we live, the changes may be more subtle… but still there. Often we focus a lot of attention on the changes. Sometimes we may get carried away by them. Especially those of us who live from holiday to holiday, for whatever many good reasons we have.
While our bodies are part of the natural world and are also always changing, we have an unchanging space within us. It’s that place of inner peace/freedom that is our very being. Always there. We pave the path to it by just calling it to mind. Noticing it. Experiencing it.
Take some moments to focus on this inner space to help navigate these external changes. If we do this regularly upon wakening, it frames the whole day in new light.
Just before lunch, it’s a welcome respite and fulfilling nourishment.
At or around dusk, it brings a mindful transition to evening time. It supports closure to daytime activities, along with refreshed perspective to be more present (more “you”) in the precious short time that follows with self/family/others.
At bedtime, it creates the stillness and satisfaction that leads to deep restorative sleep.
Good night.
Good morning.
Inner space is timeless.
Changeless.
Always there.