I came home very late, walked upstairs, and went to put my coat away. I turned around and there was a solitary brown leaf laying on the very top edge of the burgundy coach. Others may have thrown it away irritated that a leaf was in the house. Some may have become sad that Spring and Summer were pillaged by Fall. A few may have been elated that it is finally Winter, and excitedly hoped for snow.
There is a response that we all have for something simplistic, but why?
We may only be interested in that which is complex, or prefer something that challenges us. We overlook the depth we can gain from something simplistic, because we ignore it altogether.
Life experiences do make us cold and jaded...
When I saw the leaf, I looked up at my little sister, who had also entered the room, and I ranted about how strange it is that a leaf made it upstairs. We both proposed that it had taken a ride on my coat. I had no problem believing it could be downstairs, but upstairs?
Life brings change that we enjoy and revel in, but it also brings change full of unexpected circumstances and sudden pain; we tend to become comfortable, secure leaves nesting in trees, but soon Autumn arrives.
The place of rest and certainty is stripped barren. In these situations we have the propensity to react the way we always have, but we must change. When we see leaves in the wind, we may assume that they're aimlessly wandering, but we could be quite mistaken.
Why can't we be swept away by the wind?
One that inspires and uplifts...
A wind that doesn't coddle, but paradoxically lets us nest in its breath. One that challenges us as it sweeps us into uncertainty, but it's certain of where it's going. A wind that doesn't drag us along, but includes us in its adventure.
This wind is both powerful and gentle...
We soon realize that we have forgotten about the barren trees we clung to for too long. We are no longer afraid, choked, and drained by uncertainty, but rather preoccupied by the newness and freshness the wind has given; we don't even realize that we have raced into Spring! The once barren trees are full of life again, and have something to offer. Don't grasp for the wind; open your arms wide and let it breathe on you, brush over you, and take you away...