Winter lessons

“Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop.” ~Rumi

Here in southeast Michigan, it seemed as if our unseasonably warm autumn would last forever. But winter’s chill arrived suddenly, and the leaves are finally down from the trees. The branches outside my office window now form artful silhouettes against December’s pale skies, open and receptive to the next snowfall.

Today’s quote from Rumi is a reminder that it’s time for me to shed some things too.

One of the beautiful aspects of maturing is that we start to release things that no longer work for us. We can drop our pretenses and surrender the habit of trying to please or impress others. We can shed our addictive anger and practice acceptance instead. We can focus on the people and things that inspire joy, kindness, decency, peace and contentment — and disregard everything else that doesn’t. Winter offers the opportunity to pare down, retreat, and grow wiser. ~CL