Thoughts Along the Path . . .

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I mulched leaves this morning, though anyone looking at my backyard just a few hours later wouldn’t know it. I remember as a kid being told that’s why we call this season “fall.”

I remember my father raking leaves into a huge pile and then I would jump into them, leaving a mess to be raked up yet again. When playtime was over, my family would have a bonfire and burn the leaves. Though I realize that was not an environmentally wise thing to do, back then it was common practice. Now we select among three recommended practices: bag for pickup, mulch, or remain in place.

As I think about autumn leaves as part of my life, I also consider why I enjoy this time of year: the vibrant colours, the crisp weather, and even the yard work. Many people prefer spring with the long-awaited appearance of bulbs in bloom and the beginning of projects planned over the winter. All of that is true, but sometimes I am overwhelmed by spring. There’s way too much to do all at once, and everything feels urgent or at least time limited.

As I tidy up the yard now, I think about how beautiful it was and will be again. Whatever I don’t get done probably doesn’t matter anyway; soon everything will freeze, snow will build up, and then in a few months the cycle will continue through all of the seasons yet again. I like living with distinct seasons. Before I moved here, I lived in some places with little variation beyond perhaps a rainy season or cooler temperatures part of the year.

The reality of seasonal cycles and start-continue-finish (and then repeat) is similar to other events we humans experience. Whether at work or in our personal lives, pretty much everything we do has phases to it. We have a plan, we do the work, and then we finish with time to think about or reflect on it. Whether it all happens in one day or much longer, that’s how it works.

Within the Baha’i writings we have many stories and quotations encouraging us to envision the end as we begin. Abdul-Baha declared “The Temple is already built” at a ground breaking ceremony for a major multi-year architectural project in Chicago in 1912. Without offering details in the short space of this column, I’ll just say that that piece of advice offers encouragement for what we want to do and perspective as we continue our work. Of course flexibility is required in any project – whether gardening or something much grander. As John Lennon famously said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”

Here’s a question I might ask myself and you as well: What gives you the greatest satisfaction? Do you favour the start of a project with its optimistic vision for results? Do you prefer the work in between, seeing progress over time and solving problems along the way? Or do you like best the ending with its chance to appreciate the outcome, learn from it, and perhaps resolve to improve next time?

I guess I fit into the latter category - I am happy to see projects finished. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the journey from start to finish, but I am especially pleased at the ending.

So I’ll finish now by wishing you a lovely autumn/fall. Whether to you it is the beginning, the ending, or the continuing of a cycle of seasons.

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Submitted to Ayr News by Jaellayna Palmer, October 2024