Thursday, November 20, 2014

Take Time Now- A Lesson From the Season of Fall



I grew up in Southern California and lived there for  most of my adult life and never really experienced Fall. We barely had any change in the seasons. With the exception of some cooler days in Winter and a few rainy days a year, most days it were sunny and warm. You could pretty much go hiking or go for a bike ride or go to the beach most days of the year. 

That's not the case in North Carolina since we have four distinct seasons. It's COLD in the Winter and some years we might even get snow. Summer, on the other hand, is really hot and humid. 

seize the day, fall colors, mountain road


After living with four seasons a couple of years, Fall taught me a very important lesson. 


One beautiful Fall day, after picking up our girls from school, I turned down a picturesque road about a mile from our house at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The light and the leaves were so amazing and I thought "I should take a picture of this" and in the very next millisecond practicality kicked in and said: "oh, you need to get home to make dinner, it can wait until tomorrow". 


The next day, I drove down that same road with my camera in hand to take a picture, but you know what? The light wasn't the same, the leaves were not as bright and the trees were just a little more bare. 
The next year, I remembered how beautiful the leaves had been on that road in the afternoon when Fall was at peak, so I looked every day as I drove down that road for that perfect moment when the landscape would reveal the beauty I saw on that day. But, that road has NEVER looked the same as on that day many years ago. 


Every season is different. 
Every Fall is different. 
Every day is different. 
Every hour is different. 


I should have taken the photo on THAT day at THAT moment.
I missed a great opportunity. 




So, the lesson Fall in the Carolinas taught me (and keeps teaching me) is to take that moment, the moment right now.  
Take time with your kids or your spouse or your friend, to do something right now.
Dinner can wait a few more minutes. Chores will wait another day. 
Seize the opportunity right now before you. 

Don't let the busyness of the upcoming Holidays get in the way of Life's important little moments.

Pam

2 comments:

  1. The perfect post for this time of year! Thanks for the reminder! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this, Pam. This is a lesson I learned the hard way. Sometimes I lose sight of it and have to reel myself back in. Take time to smell the roses. ~ Nancy

    ReplyDelete

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