September 1st signals the end of summer, but what if we’re not ready? I know I’m not. This has been an especially warm, decadent summer filled with a lot of sunshine and swimming. So is it any wonder I don’t want to see it go just yet?

Don’t get me wrong, I love fall, too. Autumn could be my favorite. Cider mills and fall foliage, pumpkin carving, crisp air, and Halloween. What’s not to love? But it also signals winter is coming. The cold, dark, frozen time. Full of white. Of course you can also cuddle up and get a lot of work done in winter. You can use the isolation and starkness to meditate and find inner peace. The quiet within.

Change of seasons can be hard. You have to say goodbye. I just found this wonderful writing and connecting website, hello Hi, and already I have to say goodbye on its last day. But I’m grateful it exists, even for a moment in time. And if there is this, there will be more.

Someone wise once said the only constant is change. We have to learn to embrace it. Live in it. Plunge in. I guess it’s a lot like swimming. Learning to be in the flow. Stay in it. Moving gracefully amid chaos.

But the trees do it. Every day. Month after month. Through every season. Year after year. We never hear them cry about it. There is a time and a season for everything. They show us the beauty of summer in their lush green leaves, fall in their rainbows, winter in their bare-naked openness, spring in their buds and blossoms. Renewal. We can be brave and do this. Whatever it is we need to accept to move forward.

I’m trying to teach myself to meditate to help with my chronic insomnia. As it turns out, it’s no quick fix. But it’s a lifelong, every-changing experience. If practiced daily, it can have profound effects. I hope.

Everything seems easier, lighter, happier in summer. But it’s the other seasons where we probably experience the most growth. And in growing, we make room for miracles to happen.

Acceptance is part of mindfulness. Accepting your current situation. But it doesn’t mean accepting it forever. With acceptance also comes the possibility of transformation. A little alchemy, if you will. Because, like I said before, everything changes. That means your current situation could be totally different on the next page of your story.

Are you ready to change? I am.