It Goes On

This morning I was abruptly reminded about the instability of the Seasons out here in the Rockies. The inch of snow on the autumn leaves, still clinging for dear life, was the first sign of the coming Winter. In the Rockies, though, Fall is more like the brunch of seasons. Not quite Fall and not quite Winter, it brings with it the beautiful colours of changing leaves, and at the same time the potential for enough snow to bring out the Christmas music. It is as if time stands still for a moment while the snow sneaks in. One day you wake up and the peaks are dusted like icing sugar on a cake. Slowly you bring your eyes to the objects immediately in front of you and realize that they too are covered in white fluffy coldness.

Robert Frost once said, “In three words I can sum up everything I learned about life. It goes on.” In my kitchen in university we had a poster up of life quotes, and this was one of them. I read it every single day, but today I am appreciating its simplicity in a new way. So much of our time and energy is spent resisting the inevitable – but life goes on. It will keep moving and it will keep moving without us. The snow will come whether we like it or not. There are times in our lives when we face certain trials we rather not have to face. We can sit in a corner and mope, hoping that somehow our circumstances will pass us by. And luckily they will because…life goes on (or as I have written about in an earlier post, this too shall pass). But if you don’t show up for your own life, than you spend your life sitting in the corner alone, hiding your eyes from what you don’t want to see.

The Fall season can bring on those same feelings of dread for the coming season. Here in Banff, people are getting excited for the ski season ahead. Many people will tell you that that is the reason they are here (a concept which is foreign to me being the summer climber that I am). But I am allowing myself to get excited about the coming winter. Sure, the cold temperatures are less than desirable at times, but the coziness of winter, and the exciting opportunities it holds for some new winter sports, like alpine ski touring, are definitely redeeming qualities.  And before I know it I will feel a sense of sadness that the snow is melting on the ground outside.

Life: it goes on. Make this your mantra when you have that sense of dread about your life circumstances. Then get on with it. Show up for your life and prepare to be amazed by the incredible things that will come your way.

© Meghan J. Ward, 2008