Living with the seasons

The arrival of autumn is always a special time of year. That golden sun shining as nature transitions from summer. It is a the time for harvest. The crops that have been nurtured through spring and summer reach fruition. A time to gather in. Birds set out on migration, the swallows lining up on telegraph lines ready for the great exodus ( some stay here, as all round residents). It is a great time to be a birder, as each day can bring something different in terms of bird life...wheatears, spotted and pied flycatchers. The autumn is always special but so too are all the seasons. Spring brings the new life, the freshness. Summer, the hot days and long light evenings. Then winter, shorter days, cold and wet but still life asserting. Travelling through the natural timetable we come to appreciate the uniqueness of each season. Walking in the sunshine of a summer evening, you can remember doing the same walk in the cold of winter, wrapped up to keep warm. There is a great sense of fulfillment and continuity, looking and moving from one season to another. Appreciation of the seasons and nature helps us come to appreciate our own mortality. Everyone moves from Spring to summer, onto autumn then winter. Each time has its unique features. If we are in tune with the seasons and nature, it is much easier to make sense of our own lives and time on this earth. It is when humans set themselves aside from nature, as being in some way different or superior that problems arise. Humans are part of the circle of life, just like any other living creature. We need to live in accordance with and be at one with nature. All are born, live through the seasons and die. Death is as much part of that cycle of nature as birth and life. We need to come to terms with death. It is the one inevitable that we all share. The arrival of winter marks the end for some but also new beginnings. A time that precedes new birth. None of us can turn back the clock but we can all appreciate the steady rhythm, as we pass through the different seasons, enjoying each for what it offers. The sense of fulfillment coming from a truly rich experience.