There is something frantic in the air right now. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it feels like summer is not all that anxious to let go of it’s busy hot days to the deep cool days of fall. It will of course let go, and yes I know, we are only in the middle of September, but I can still feel this resistance building. I feel my own drive to keep on going till this end of summer work is complete, while also trying to compete with my inner needs to begin a period of slowing down as the days get shorter.

I begin to secretly long for the cooler days and deeper colours that the autumnal arrival hails. I hear the geese calling overhead as they begin their journeys southwards. Without wishing too hard for the rain and the cold of winter, I welcome the transition between them. I ready my being for a gentle slowing, while still staying focused on the task at hand and the vision that motivates it.

This year, I say, I will be prepared for the transition. This year, I will be equipped with intention and newfound understandings of what it means to let go. I will pull out my drysuit and wear cozy socks, I will get out my warm blankets and begin to make soup. I will also give myself permission to go out and get damp from the wetness in the air, to witness the landscapes transition as it paralells my own into the shorter days of fall. And oh! The colours are so bright just before they fall to the ground… and I do feel colourful these days.

Between the busy days of summer and the slower days of winter is a time to reap the harvest of summer, to dance in the moonlight, eat peaches and let the juice run down your chin and to feel the cool breath of winter gently kissing your neck. It’s time to get out for sunset paddles and kick the leaves underfoot, finish that one last project and shine brightly before the simple stark renewal of winter is upon us.

Happy Paddling!