Fall Back….

The dreaded daylight savings time is upon us, clocks fall back. So often, to so many, this is a bittersweet evening. Yes, we do get another hour of sleep; something we lack so very often in our hurried lives. But at a sacrifice that, to some, is just too great; a lack of sun.  There is a solemnness that can be felt as we enter this time of the year. The trees are becoming bare, the ground hardening, the temperatures falling and the sunlight ever fading. You see a slump in shoulders that only a month earlier were straight and walking with purpose. Now steps seem slower, emphasizing an added weight to each person.

This is a time of year that cases of depression seem to increase, many attributed to the lack of sunlight. I double up on my vitamin D3 during this time of year. We seem to focus on the negative reaction to the less sunshine, the cooler air forcing us to be inside, becoming at times insular.

During the spring, summer and early fall, we are outside a lot. During the height of the summer, we could be outside in light from 7am to 9pm. We are Go, Go, Go in the summer months. Whether we are at the beach, out for a run, a bike ride, a hike, a walk, on a boat, kayaking, fishing, and the list can go on, we are going, going, going. We tend to socialize a bit and get as much as we can out of the weather, the sunlight.

Given all of that running, perhaps we are looking at the change in season and daylight savings time wrong. Perhaps we should be considering the positives of this time of year. We get time to ourselves. Time to ourselves to reflect. We can recharge our batteries by resting, by less activity. We can renew relationships that perhaps were too busy during the summer months. What if we used this time now to reflect on where we are, where we want to go and how we want to get there?

During this time of year, the trees are demonstrating the art of letting go.  Letting go with the faith that the leaves will grow back more beautiful the next season. Perhaps this time of year is to help us let go.

I read something recently that said, “Let go, Let be, Let in.” This really made sense to me. There are some things such as feelings of anger or judgement that we must learn to let go. These are toxic feelings whether they are toward someone else or ourselves, that eat us alive. We will never be happy if hang on to things long after they are over.

Let be. Just let things unfold. Just let things sit there. We have all heard this and there are some who do this very well, the art of being in the moment.  This is an art. I have my moments when I am more deliberate than I should be, I know that. This one is tough for me. I wonder if over this transition of weather I should focus on just letting things be. Perhaps that is something to reflect on during this time, see, this can work!

Let in is new for me. This is the art of feminine energy and being able to receive. I have closed myself off for a long long time. I have struggled to receive over the years, whether that be help, or love. I generally have a bit of a wall around me. People think they are in but most aren’t. I listen more than I share. This blog shares more of me and lets more people in deeper than anything else. I hide behind my writing. I don’t think I ever really understood that before. Perhaps this time of reflection will be very good for me to gain clarity and re-energize.

Taking this opportunity to reflect and renew may be a great way to reframe how we think of daylight savings time. Perhaps the falling back of an hour will actually enable us to let go, let be and let in. Perhaps this truly is a time for rest and renewal.

Take advantage of it, don’t be solemn and slumped shouldered. Be straight and walk with purpose.

Fall back to spring forward.