Finding Magic In Change
“Embrace the seasons and cycles of your life.
There is magic in change ”
~ Bonnie Ware
The change of seasons has always felt like a sacred time to me, especially the period between summer and fall. So much seems to happen at once: cool winds come in and take the temperature down, the sun sets earlier, and new autumn colors start to replace summer greens. For a few magical weeks, I am fully immersed in these elemental shifts as they remind me that change is a natural and beautiful thing. It sparks a period of introspection, where I look at my life and notice what has grown, what wants to fall away, and what parts of myself want to transform with the season.
Unfortunately, what traditionally follows this energetic wave is the overwhelming sense that I do not know how to implement the changes I wish to make. In the past, my approach to change has not been a sustainable path. I believed the only way to bring change into my life was crafting a strict plan of action with hard deadlines and goals. If I wanted to start reading more, I would tell myself I needed to read for one hour every day or read x amount of books a month. I put myself on a tightrope, setting wildly high expectations paired with a rigid and impractical schedule to intimidate myself out of it entirely.
A few months ago, I felt I had three big shifts I wanted to bring into my life. One in creativity, the others in career and health. I knew if I continued with my usual antics, I would burn out and not create lasting effects in any of these spaces. I needed a new approach. It was time to invite change in, and forge a new relationship with it. So, I threw out the plans, the deadlines, the rigidity, and simply started walking in the direction that felt right. I decided that change would be based on how I felt, rather than what it looked like to the outside world. With that, magic transpired. I finally was able to bring changes in my life that I had been putting off for months.
It turns out, my kind of change wants to unfold at a slow and steady pace on a not-so-direct path. It has taken a great deal of patience to accept this about myself and to let go of the results-driven mindset I have grown accustomed to. This is especially hard when the world around us values overnight transformations and holds narrow views of success. While it is difficult at times to sit in its slowness, I know this is the sustainable path. I no longer feel that I am either failing or succeeding with change. Now, I feel that I am building up my life, and for the first time in a while, I feel secure that I am guiding my life well.
As this fall unfolds, I am welcoming in its energetic pull towards change, knowing I can cultivate it rather than let it pass. Transformations do not always happen as quickly or seamlessly as the seasons shift. Some things simply take time, even many seasons, and we can look to the natural world to keep us going on that journey.
Find Your Magic,
Cate
Co-Founder, Food + Drink Director // Coventina and Co.
JOUNRAL PROMPT:
What is your current relationship to change?
Do you fear it, love it, or do not even think about it and just let it naturally occur?