Seasons affect all of us – right now the world (well, most of it) is heading up towards the silly season where people go off their heads spending far more than they should and eating far more than they need. But it’s not just about Mother Nature’s changing moods; there are different seasons in our own lives we experience. I remember an old age home in my old neighbourhood called Happy Autumn. How awful – but those kinds of things are changing too; I saw an old lady (around 70) yesterday wearing tight tracksuit pants and a slightly cropped top with no bra. Gosh. She had a good body, but there were some saggy bits that perhaps should have been kept hidden. The point is, she’s not wearing a floral house coat and sensible shoes, waiting in anticipation for the next bingo game.

My favourite person of all time is King Solomon, who is credited with immense wisdom – he talks about seasons, saying there is a time for everything under the sun. He’s also credited with saying that ‘this too shall pass’, which is an incredible piece of wisdom. It tells us to hold on when things are bad, because they’ll end; and it tells us to live in every moment because even the good stuff ends sometime.

We are all changeable, just like nature. We are also editable. As we walk through life, we add on or take off little pieces so that although the core remains the same, the outer edges shift and move. Some changes are deep and reach the core, but most are just slight skips in one direction or another. Because of this, what we loved and were passionate about yesterday isn’t always the same today. And tomorrow? Who knows.

That’s why it’s good to learn to recognise the endings and beginnings of new seasons. To not mourn what is ending because and end always brings a beginning. If you’re looking forward to a new beginning, then surely you’re also looking at an ending? Whether it’s a move to another home or the start of a new career, or a new relationship. A new relationship either means the end of singleness or the end of another relationship. Endings happen all the time.

The end of a diet. The end of a holiday. The end of the day.

Why do we struggle to let go of things even when they don’t fit in to the new tomorrow?
Why do we grasp tight and refuse to be drawn forward? We’re a bit like the creeper I struggled with last weekend – its roots were pretty tough and it was not keen on being moved. I pulled and twisted and dug and grunted. I finally got it out of its hole, but had to leave a couple of roots behind in the process.

Sometimes you have to cut things off in order to move forward. And the thing about moving forward isn’t that its necessarily better, it’s just different. Like nature’s seasons, we all love aspects of spring, summer, winter and autumn, but the good news is we’re forced into change – we have no choice. It must choice that’s so hard then, not change. If you decide to end this relationship and begin that one – you must be a bad person. Why?

If one relationship isn’t working for you, isn’t growing you, supporting you, nurturing you or feeding your dreams and passions, then what’s the point? Is our sense of duty and guilt so strong we hold ourselves back from positive forward movement? Same with a job – an over-enthusiastic sense of loyalty could see you stagnating. There’s a little bit of narcissism in that too, though. The thought that you can’t let so and so down because they’ll (or the business will) crumble the minute you leave. Not true.  In fact, most people are way stronger than they let on and when you allow them the freedom to survive by leaving, they usually thrive.

So, what changes are you not making because your roots are too stubborn to budge or your guilt is turning you into a loyal, stagnating stayer?

Get a grip – no, sorry, ungrip yourself and move with impunity towards your next season, whatever that may be.