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The CC - The Autumn Question
The Autumn QuestionI've been wondering, “Are some of the things I fear losing the very things I eventually need to let go of?” I’m moving deeper into the Autumn season of my life. The other evening, up in Jeff and Laura's PEI loft, I listened to the nippy nor’wester shushing through the trees. My east coast son-in-law, considers how his trees somehow seal off their branches to preserve sap to survive the freezing PEI winds. A chilly rain is streaking the window. It's quiet in this house in the forest as I ponder what Autumn means to me, beyond the fading Summer. I used to believe that my value depended on being increasingly productive. Therefore loss of career, of being the provider, the problem solver, the person who knew what to do next is a loss of parts of myself. We cling to Summer when we hold on to past careers, or the productivity we enjoyed. For those of us in senior years, sometimes our mid-age values no longer fit. We don't need to recompose the values of accomplishment we had at a younger age. This tenacious grasp of a sunny past, hinders the inevitable move to Autumn’s decomposition. There's something in releasing that grasp that tells us how to live with loss. With a rigid hold on Summer we may just miss the opportunity for renewal. Autumn shows us that not all periods of apparent decline are without purpose. Some careers I've lived and lost, have nourished what needed to follow. But Autumn’s renewal looks entirely different now; it means I can’t fall back into the same routines. Cycles of renewal and rest mark nature's seasons. And I’m becoming more convinced that it’s also a natural human cycle of dying to live. I try to not let this dying bit stress me out. Well, not as much. I ask, "Where is my life dying and decomposing? And where may it be needing to, but I’m not allowing it?" I look out the window into the dark forest, the wind and freezing rain seems out of control. I don't have this figured out. I'm still learning how to grieve what is gone. I believe deep down many of you have been wrestling with this process in your lives in some way. Take a moment and ask yourself, “Where in my life is decomposition giving way to life? And where may it be wanting to, but not yet able?” I would love to connect with you on LinkedIn or Facebook. See you next week, Grayson Did someone forward you this email? Get weekly reflections straight to your inbox by subscribing to The Compassionate Competitor. Want to share this issue via text, social media, or email? Just copy and paste this link: [ARCHIVE URL GOES HERE] |
Grayson Bain
Join us if you're yearning for business insights peppered with adventure, humanity, and a dash of humility. It’s more than success; it’s about significance.
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