Seasons of Life
The seasons of the year remind us that life also moves through seasons. Each season has its own purpose, its own challenges, and its own opportunities. Spring represents our youth, a time of learning, growing, taking risks, experiencing rejection, and celebrating the thrill of winning.
It is when we begin discovering who we are and what we want from life. We go to school, learn a trade or profession, find a career, and begin making our way in the world. Then, sometime between the late teens and early twenties, another season begins.
We start thinking about building a family, creating financial security, establishing a career, and perhaps even achieving some measure of fame or recognition. We begin planting the seeds of what we hope will become our future, a home, a family, a business, a reputation, and eventually, a legacy.
But eventually, the seasons change. Fall arrives, and it tells us that it is time to begin preparing for winter. This does not mean that life is ending. Instead, it means that the nature of our work is changing.
We begin putting away some of the trappings of everyday work and start thinking differently about what we want to accomplish with the years ahead. One of the great advantages of entering life's fall season is the opportunity to help those who are coming behind us.
We have spent decades planting, growing, harvesting, and learning. Now we have an opportunity to prepare the garden for the next generation. We can share what we have learned, mentor others, tell our stories, and help young people avoid some of the mistakes we made.
For someone like me, that means teaching. I want my students to understand not only what is in the textbook but also the issues behind the headlines. I want them to see how what they are learning in the classroom connects to the real world. In many ways, I am helping prepare the soil for their spring.
I am also looking forward to having my lesson plans organized and completed so I am no longer constantly struggling to prepare for the next class. Perhaps that will give me more freedom to take some time away from teaching and enjoy Florida during the winter.
And there is another garden I want to tend, my family history. I want to write down the experiences, stories, lessons, successes, and struggles that have shaped our family so they are not lost to history. What are you looking forward to as your life enters its fall season?
I once read that there are really only two ways a person can be remembered: someone writes about you, or you write about yourself.
In my case, I suppose I had better get busy writing.
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