September 2022

September 2022

The last few mornings have been noticeably cool, almost to the point of wanting to close the windows in my house… but I know (having lived in Southwest Idaho for more than 25 years…) that this is a temporary respite from so many recent days of triple digit temperatures. As we near the end of the summer season, I’m really looking forward to the cool and crisp air of autumn…..and colorful leaves floating to the earth in swirls of warm wind. It reminds me we are in a time of transition….as we move from one season to the next…. It’s like a movie with special effects…. Smokey edges and blurred lines of filtered sunlight framing these days of haziness mixed with blue skies.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with items on my “to do” list…. The fall is certainly a time when we begin new projects and let go of those unfinished ones from summer. I just want to harvest my last few veggies in the garden before the first freeze arrives in a few weeks, and clean out some cat areas in the work room before they need to sleep in here for upcoming cold nights. So much for organizing the yard sale with summer clothes and outdated items that have been in storage for years -- there is no time to gather them now. I have more pressing matters -- like Bed & Breakfast guests arriving, almost every weekend between now and Halloween; and a commitment to help organize part of the upcoming “Golden Games” at the YMCA where I teach classes every day. I should be cleaning up the house and garden and even the refrigerator, in anticipation of those house guests….. but, maybe re-organizing my paperwork and notes for classes I teach should be the priority?…. And then there is the matter of keeping my certifications up to date and taking more training and classes for myself….when do I have time to do that? I am still healing from the total knee replacement I had – just before Christmas…. And there are other medical issues I have to deal with. My head spins sometimes, just trying to keep up with friends and activities, changing décor in my home for the season, hosting family dinners, baking, creating, planning (even being on social media takes up time) and other responsibilities that keep me hopping.

Ok, I understand that everyone has aches, pains, injuries, a long “to do” list and obligations. This change of seasons that is coming is a great time to let go of those things we can’t control, that we don’t need, that are unnecessary, that don’t give us clear purpose. It’s a time to focus forward…..perhaps, change direction with our lives… we might make decisions about the future; maybe career changes, family, living situations, life goals…. What can we do to ‘lighten up’, to create a path of happiness, clarity and purpose?

I’m looking forward to the Autumnal Equinox that I will celebrate in my Restorative Yoga class at the Caldwell YMCA on Friday, the 23rd of September. Before that, I need to get going on cleaning, baking and re-organizing before these Bed and Breakfast guests arrive. I hope to continue to see more of you in my classes at the Caldwell YMCA…. Let’s make a plan to let go of something and find a new path this fall. Namaste’