The Pace Of Nature - Life Lessons From Autumn



The sky turned dark early today. It was only 4.15 in the evening and I was preparing a cup of tea when I happened to gaze outside the window of the kitchen. A somber, grey hued sky greeted me, reminding me that it is that time of the year when the days will be shorter and there will be less sunshine. 

It is amazing how each day seems to go by slowly but when we look back on the year as such, we realize that time flew by. Sometimes it feels that we stay stuck up while time marches by and before we know it, we have missed much in life. 

At this stage of life, I wish time slows down. There is lot more to experience and enjoy. There is so much still left to do! It is moments like today, when I realize how quickly time is passing by, that I regret lamenting or feeling low about miniscule things while there is so much of life to catch up with. 

I think a reminder of the fleeting nature of life is necessary every now and then. Today has brought me out of the gloom that evening brings, reminding me that I have lost many precious moments already either by living in the past or by constantly worrying about the future. The present moment is swiftly passing by, urging me to live and experience it fully.

A new determination comes to the mind - to live every moment fully and whole-heartedly. Perhaps by doing this, I can prolong it. There is a strange sense of urgency that forcibly removes every tiny shred of negativity that tries to seep into the mind. Time is flying, and there is much to experience and learn from!

But wait. Hurrying along with time doesn't feel right. Perhaps there is a better way to live every moment fully? A quote comes to the mind:

 Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. - Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

This feels like a much-better way to live life. Patiently and calmly, like nature does. She takes her time to bloom. She changes herself leisurely. She experiences every season fully. And yet she moves with time. Not in a hurry, but in perfect synchronization.

The sense of urgency that had been disturbing me has gone now, leaving behind a better solution to keep up with time - by living at nature's pace. I will not run, but I will walk leisurely, enjoying the journey. I will not hurry, but I will keep up the pace with every moment, living fully in the present. 

I think about my walk in the evening today. It was hurried. A lot of things were running in my mind. I did slow down when I saw the sun setting in style and bringing an end to another day. Again, it took the help of nature to slow me down! I stood and watched the sun for few minutes, realizing that it is beautiful even when it sets. Then duty beckoned and I resumed my hurried walk.

Tomorrow, I will slow down. I will walk leisurely. I will work unhurried and at peace. I will deliberately slow down my movements and live in harmony with the present moment. 

I will adopt nature's pace - her patience. Autumn has arrived, a reminder to slow down and to soak the soul in the warmth of leisure and comfort.

Comments

  1. Latha PrakashOctober 9, 2023 at 7:50 AM

    Your write-ups are soulful friend. I loved the fourth para where u have mentioned about loosing precious moments. The last line "a reminder to slow down" is beautiful

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepa VishalOctober 9, 2023 at 8:00 AM

      Thanks friend 😊 Always a pleasure to view your comment here! ❤️

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

To Thine Own Self, Be Kind!

Image
As if life was not tough enough, we had to complicate it even more by being hard on ourselves. Today's journaling prompt asks me to introspect the ways in which people are generally harsh on themselves, and what kind of support can we offer to ourselves to take it easy. Feeling like we are not doing/being enough: There must be very few people who feel contented and satisfied with what they are or with their work. Majority of the people battle self-criticism, always rebuking themselves for not trying enough, or for not being more. The most difficult person to satisfy or please is oneself. It is always toughest to silence our own mind's criticism! None of us has it easy in life, and yet we are coping with the situations to the best of our abilities. Sometimes we choose an unconventional coping mechanism that might feel strange or unfamiliar to many, but works wonderfully for us. To each one, their own! I feel we judge ourselves much more than we judge others, and we do not forgiv...
Read more

Happiness - A Journey And Destination!

Image
As a homemaker, one of the biggest challenges of my day is finding happiness amidst the routine chores. When you have to do the same tasks every day, a sense of boredom creeps in.  One of the best lessons that I have learnt in my quest for happiness is that, it can be found not just in the destination but in the journey as well. Often we focus so much on the destination that we forget to smell the roses in the various paths that our journey takes us through.  I try to make mundane tasks interesting by adding something new to the day. While cooking, I usually listen to podcasts. Not only do they inspire me, but the dreary process of cooking turns into something interesting that I actually look forward to. Sometimes I attempt new recipes. Other times I listen to songs while cooking.  Talking about songs, they are a must when it comes to cleaning the house. I am not a cleanliness-freak and most of the times, I let it go if the house is messy. But sometimes it gets so m...
Read more

January Moments!

Image
I came across two memes pertaining to January - one defining January as a never-ending Monday and the other stating that out of 365 days of a year, January itself feels 300 days long. While these memes are hilarious, they do drive a point home. There were times during the month when January felt as if it is stretching itself. Then there were some days when I realized that the first month of the new year is speeding by. Whether long or short, January has been eventful for me. Be it books, my write-ups, movies or just personal reflections, January gave me enough time to catch up with all of these. Reading Reflections: Reading-wise, January has been a peaceful and satisfying month. I deliberately chose cozy, comfortable and light reads. I joined an online book-reading group and it has really motivated me to keep up with my reading habit.  Here are the books I read in this month: Books by Carolyn Brown: The Lullaby Sky The Lilac Bouquet The Party Line Books by Sadhguru: Mind Is Your Bu...
Read more