Year after year, nature continues to astound us as it effortlessly relinquishes one season and delicately embraces another. With each season, there is a “letting go” demonstration that brings beauty upon us. We can learn from this and perhaps that learning may bring us comfort, peace and reflection on our own lives. Let’s start with winter.

Winter visually appears upon that first snowfall. We see a small apparently white flake gently tap our cold window and then one may exclaim, “It’s snowing!” Snowflakes start out as ice crystals in clouds and eventually become heavy as they grow. Once the ice crystals become heavy enough to defy gravity, they fall from the clouds. Yes, the winter clouds demonstrate our “letting go” theory by letting go of those ice crystals we eventually call, snow. What about spring?

Spring arrives with the sneak peek of crocus struggling through the disappearing blanket layers of snow.  Yes, an ice-cold ground covered with snow gives way to budding flowers and trees as the winter “covering” disappears with the rising temperatures and the heat of the sun. Thus, spring finds a way to add its two cents to our “letting go” theory by allowing its blanket of snow to disappear. Moving on to our next season, let’s look at summer.

Summer arrives as the Earth continues its “axis tilt” and “play” with the sun to allow more daylight and therefore more growing time. What happens? Those former buds and unfolded leaves are now spreading and growing rapidly.   Long gone are the spring flowers. The buds we saw disappear and are replaced by blooming beautiful summer flora! Momma birds let go of their babies who’ve learned to fly. Butterflies have even shed their cocoons! Yes, nature has done it again and “let go” to reveal a new form of beauty. Just as this vast exquisiteness reaches its fullest glory, autumn or Fall arrives. How does that happen?

It is said that once daylight equals nighttime hours (equinox), autumn begins. Our visual here is we begin to see the leaves change color. Days become shorter, thus producing less sunlight. That lack of sunlight reduces chlorophyll production, which is responsible for the leaves to be green. Without as much chlorophyll, the true colors of the leaves are revealed and produced! In addition, trees undergo hormonal changes ultimately resulting in leaves becoming detached. That familiar sign of autumn; the beautifully colored falling leaf. I am reminded of a quote: “Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go!”

So what does it mean to let things go?

It can take on several meanings. We may be referencing a relationship, a job, a bad feeling, something someone said or did, having fear of the unknown, or it may be a spiritual reference. When we let go of something, the hope is that we will be able to begin a better experience and to “move on” with our lives. That should bring us comfort.

It is certainly understandable why we could be reluctant to “let go.” Letting go may mean we may never see a person again (good or bad). It may mean that there is something we have great attachment to such as a family pet. Letting go, in these cases, can be unthinkable until we see the benefits that may wait for us should we choose to let go. Working in this industry affords us the chance to experience this with those we serve. We must understand how difficult it must be to “let go”.

There are benefits of letting go. Letting go may free our minds to think happier thoughts. It may lead to better health because it would help eliminate stress caused by worrying about things. Of course, everything takes an adjustment. The seasons change but they do so gradually and not abruptly. Letting go may be a process for us too. Just the fact that we make up our minds to make a change and to “let go” of something that is weighing on us, takes us one-step further to a better peace of mind. Our Fall Aging Conference will deal with TABOO Topics. These are topics where we should check ourselves on our open minds and redirect ourselves to learning more about these topics. We need to let go of fears of the unknown and learn how to deal with something that may be uncomfortable. Maybe you’ve lost someone near and dear to you. That’s a tough one yet we must always remember that while they may no longer be with us, they will always live forever in our hearts. They may be gone yet never forgotten! We need to find peace in this.

Ultimately, it is important to determine what is preventing us from moving on or letting go. Once we have done that, we feel relieved as if a heavy burden was lifted. There is a reason why ice crystals fall from the clouds at the start of a snow. Their weight was overwhelming and thus they had to be released. Let’s find out how we can release those weights in our lives so that we may be able to see the beautiful results of that bold decision as each season has shown us when it lets things go.