Going Slow.

October is my birthday month. A couple of years ago I got gifted a hot air balloon ride for my 50^th. We haven’t made it up yet despite a few tries and I was looking forward to finally taking off on my birthday, but mist scuppered that plan and I’m so glad. A clear diary day was such a luxury and a powerful reminder of the gift of going slow.

Autumn has fully arrived. Multi coloured leaves are blowing around my garden. Scattered like confetti on paths and grass. Late blooming flowers pack a vibrant punch under blankety skies of grey white fleece.

Nature is exhaling and letting go. Light levels, temperatures and apples are dropping. At every turn an invitation to stop and linger. The fig leaves turning sunshine yellow, the maple leaves a vibrant scarlet. Acorns litter the ground and crunch beneath my feet. My toes now hidden in socks and shoes to keep out the morning dew.

Outside I’m tucking in my garden for the winter. Removing late summers dead flowers, weeding after the September rain, taming rampant climbers and laying pungent woodchip on the beds.

Now is the time for crumbles and custard, soup and jacket potatoes. In the kitchen, it’s a joy to turn the oven on and remove the edge from the not yet heated room. Candles accompany me as the light dims. Windows that have been flung open all summer are shut as the afternoon advances. The quest to retain heat has started.

Now is the time for wrapping hands round mugs of tea and watching the geese fly by. Nature’s colourful crescendo so full of shape and texture sparks my imagination. Creative ideas fill the spaces the sunshine is leaving. Threads and fabric tumble from draws and baskets onto a table. What can I make from these bits and bobs? Lamplit corners and cosy cafes invite me to put pen to paper. The spider above the sink asks what dreams I’m spinning whilst the pots soak.

All this marvellous beauty, sweetness and earthiness, encourages me to go a little slower, linger a little longer, gracefully move from pace and productivity to rest and restoration and I’m very thankful for it. I’m choosing to embrace the truth that like nature I too will benefit from a slower season for a little while.

Do you relish this seasonal change in tempo? What do you find it enables?

The abundant joy of Autumn colours and fruit.