Spring and Autumn Memories: How the Seasons Shape Our Lives

Season change is quite peculiar. It is not only on the weather shifting to hot and cold or to cold and warm. It is of the emotion which accompanies it, of the mute word in the wind, and of the impression that time is changing. In September, particularly, when there is a solstice, lots of individuals take a break. In one side of the world the days can lengthen, in another side of the world the nights start to extend. This transformation does not occur with much noise. It occurs in a gentle and quiet manner but it touches every life. September solstice has been an object of contemplation. To others it is spiritual. They view it as a period when nature addresses the soul, and reminds us that life is cyclic, and not linear. For others, it is practical. They take the time to reflect on what they have accomplished, what they have not accomplished, and what they want to accomplish before the year actually ends.  [Image Source](https://pixabay.com/photos/trees-forest-woods-trail-path-5555938/) I myself, happen to be divided between the two forms of thinking. On the one hand, this gives me the impression that nature is tuning itself. On the other hand, I also experience that my goals and dreams are pressing on me. I always found the transition of the seasons to be something magical when I was young. I recall how in the early fall the leaves began to change and turned brown, red, and yellow. It was as though walking down the street was like walking within a painting. The rustling of the leaves under my feet was music and the cool air had a freshness to it. The earth seemed to me to be on the point of rest. I was not quite aware of the solstice at the time, but I knew that something greater than myself was in force. Spring had its remembrances, too. When the first flowers started to peep out of the ground in the cold months afterward I felt hope. It was almost as though life were beginning again. The mornings were fairer, the days were longer, and the world awoke. I could not describe the feeling that came with the smell of blossoms in the air making me feel alive. The spring solstice never seemed old, it was always a fresh start, a slight reminder that the winter had been as dark as it could be, but the light would never be lost. The thing that is most impressive to me about these solstice moments is that they are quite personal. There are those who pay very little attention to them. The day passes like any other. They are so busy, so distracted, or so tired that they fail to realize that it is no longer day or night. However, in my case, I stop even though I do not intend to celebrate.  [Image Source](https://pixabay.com/photos/autumn-forest-nature-leaves-tree-8311804/) I allowed myself to think even though it is only a few minutes. I question myself: How have we gotten as far as this year? What am I grateful for? So what do I still hope will occur before the end of the year? During this brief hiatus, the solstice is no longer merely a date on the calendar. It becomes a mirror. My memories of solstice are not all happy. Others are connected with seasons of loss. I recall that once in September I was struggling over disappointment and those dark nights of autumn appeared to fit my mood. Even at that time, the solstice included a silent message. It was a reminder that darkness is not something that is permanent. Seasons continue to vary just as life seasons continue to vary. You see, that to-day, on the coming of the September solstice, I do not pass over. I may not make a big deal about it all the time, but I at least take the time to feel it. The equilibrium between day and night reminds me that there is also such thing as equilibrium in life. Work and rest. Joy and sadness. Beginnings and endings. I keep my spring memories as well as my autumn ones, as they are all versions of the same story: change is constant but it is also beautiful. Then as the seasons change I hearken. I reflect. I remember. And I bless the gift of time, and the teachings of light and darkness, and of the lessons of the memories that the solstice leaves behind.