Yesterday we received the first significant rain in what seems like forever.  The season is definitely changing and fall is here.  Living almost half way between the equator and the North Pole, I am blessed to see four completely different seasons every year.

I always like the beginning of each season and the changes that occur. Why?  Maybe just because it is fun to see the change.  Maybe because we are tired of the way things have been the last three months.  Or maybe it’s because you know it’s time for something different and you can finally see the beginning of a new season.

I started thinking about the different seasons and how they really kind of  represent the way we go through life as well.  Follow me on this and see if you can figure out which season you are in and if it’s time for a change.

FALL

With fall, we get changing colors and cooler temperatures.  The leaves fall off the trees and the rain, at least where I live in the Pacific Northwest, usually picks up a little.  Fall is the time when the kids go back to school and the days get shorter.  We slow down from a busy summer and start to gear up for some level of hibernation for the months ahead.

WINTER

Winter where I live is wet, damp and dark.  Sometimes we don’t see the sun for days.  I leave for work in the dark and I get home in the dark.  Maybe you get a day here and there that you can do something outside.  Most of our winter activities involve broken tree branches and breaking the ice in the water bucket for the goats.  Very quiet and very consistent, winter usually means a fire in the woodstove 24/7 which is always nice.  I like to open the mud room door when I get home and feel the warmth.  Winter is a good time to get caught up on “inside projects” but eventually, we feel a strong need to come out of the cave.

SPRING

Springtime is pretty cool.  Usually it rains a lot but along with the rain comes an incredible array of colors.  The leaves come back on the trees and the flowers bloom.  The grass turns green again and even looks kind of nice after you mow it.  The biggest thing I like about spring is the sound of it.  The birds make so much noise, sometime I wounder if I am in some kind of habitat refuge.  But it is worth it.  Spring brings hope.  Everything gets a new look.  Everything is alive.  The sun comes up earlier, the days are longer and all is good.

SUMMER

Summer is usually hot but not too hot.  Mostly dry which is a nice change for here.  We really only have one dry season and summer is it.  But around here, summer is usually pretty busy.  Everyone scrambling to get things done before fall gets here again.  Lot’s of good things happen in summer, but by the end of it I am pretty tired.  It’s time for fall again.  Time to slow down a little.

I think the seasons are pretty cool.  I am excited when a new season gets here and I am ready for them to change three months later.  The lesson … know that we all will experience different seasons in our lives.  Make the most out of the beginning and the most out of the end.

But most of all, make the most out of every day, because tomorrow will be different and you won’t get the same opportunities again.

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Barry Smith   www.buildingwhatmatters.com   10/13/12            photo by author