I must admit that I'm falling for Fall. In fact every year I will wax lyrical over falling leaves, warm hues, pumpkins and gourds. Autumn is about Harvest.
When the season changes, so too will many other things - my taste buds change as I gravitate towards warm honey. My Autumn-Winter wardrobe makes its appearance and even my preference for scents drifts from flowery Anais Anais Cacharel towards the richer Jo Malone's Orange Blossom. And I prefer to stay indoors, next to the glowing fireplace rather than go out. I'm also letting my garden rest.
Love it or hate it but Autumn will gradually pave the way for Winter.
Can we in any way change the seasons? No.
Can we in any way change our perspective towards the different seasons? Yes.
That brings me to a conversation I had the other day with two friends about people. We shared our experiences about nice mannerly people who leave you refreshed and happy and enjoying each other's company. And the other category which is the direct opposite, and I won't even go there.
What makes people nice or not nice?
Is it education - and I don't just mean spending those years in school ? Is it upbringing - has discipline and respect and mindfulness flown out of the window as parents put their children so high up on the pedestal, that they can do no wrong? Is it the lack of exposure that has resulted in a very insular society, so entrenched in its own ways and culture, resulting in stereotypical concepts about race or gender?
'We are put here in this place to change them.' my friend said.
I beg to differ I said. We can't change seasons and neither can we change another person. But we can live true to the good values that we have been brought up with, and hopefully that will leave some impact on others around us.
I was at a Women's Conference in Dublin recently and I came away with a nugget. 'Live unbothered '
This means that we should not let what is upsetting attach itself to us for too long.
We can choose how we respond to those who are nosy, who don't keep promises, who say things they don't mean, who gossip, who back bite, who envy, who don't like us, who are shallow, who are uncouth .....and the list goes on.
To do this, we need to recognise the unpleasant event or behaviour and tell ourselves that we will not let it spoil our mood or our day. Once we choose this response, we can then let the bad behaviour go and we have freed ourselves to live life to the fullest.
Everyone is on a journey.
Some take a longer time to arrive at being a better person or friend. And if we live to see that happen, we are genuinely happy for them.
Some may never change at all. And hard as it is, there is nothing we can do about it.
We cannot change that unpleasant behaviour. But we can choose not to let that unpleasant behaviour affect our own mood and feelings.
So it's time to make that warm honey and thank God for the lovely family and friends that surround me. And that is the greatest harvest.
