I think the hummingbirds left today.
I’ve been watching for them for nearly an hour this morning during my daily coffee-and-journal ritual. There is no sign of them.
Every spring, I fill the feeders with sugar and water and then wait with anticipation. I always feel such joy when I finally spot the first one.
There’s a little green one that I have named Humphrey.
He is a tough little character. He chases off the others with chirps and such surprisingly intense moves that I sometimes worry they’ll hurt each other.
He’s kind of bossy. Determined to defend what he believes belongs to him. I respect that. Reminds me of me!
It seems miraculous to me that these tiny birds somehow find their way back to my humble little spot year after year.
I find them magical.
But I will admit that I am not as devoted an animal lover as some of my family and friends. I like animals. I enjoy petting them and playing with them. But the caretaking part has never really been my thing.
It’s probably because when I was a freshman in college, my grandmother Jean passed away after a long illness. Just a few weeks later, our dog, a big fawn colored Great Dane named Ragnar also died. They were two of my best friends. The one-two punch of those losses still makes me want to cry all these years later. And likely why I never had another pet of my own.
And for now, Humphrey and friends are gone.
And I sincerely feel a little sad. Because their absence signals the end of my favorite season, summer, and I am not quite ready to let it go.
I love fall too. Crisp mornings. Cozy sweaters and fuzzy socks. Gorgeous changing leaves. Apples. Sunday afternoon, and a big pot of soup simmering on the stove while my family and I cheer on our team, the Buffalo Bills.
But the electric, spontaneous energy of summer if my favorite. Fall always feels a little more serious to me.
Summer feels light and fun. Like sundresses, laughter until you cry, and cocktails and dinner with girlfriends at some waterside crab house.
Fall feels like: Okay, it’s getting cool and dark. Fun time is over. Time to get back to business.
So perhaps that is why something my meditation teacher Ashley said recently stayed with me:
We stand at the threshold of a new season, but we don’t have to rush through the door.
Ashley Rideaux, with whom I practice on Tamika Caston-Miller’s amazing Ashe Yoga platform, regularly drops wisdom bombs during her weekly meditation class that always seem to name exactly where I am in the moment.
My friend Steph has lovingly coined her “the pocket guru,” and I agree. The way she seems to effortlessly pull gems from the Yoga Sutras and other ancient wisdom, and then connects them to the realities of modern life blows my mind every week.
That day, Ashley asked us to consider a question:
As we transition to a new season, is there something you are carrying that once served you but that you are ready to put down because you no longer need it?
I have been thinking about that ever since.
Typically, I treat fall as a kind of New Year. A time to start fresh and consider what I should accomplish, change, or fix before the end of the year. With only three months left and having slowed down and taken my time for a few months, I try to get back at it in September.
But Ashley’s question asks something entirely different. She’s not asking what I am going to do. She’s asking, what am I ready to release?
What can I gently put down because I no longer need to carry it?
Not because it was bad or because it failed me or because I regret it. I mean, I have a few of those too. But is there something, maybe a habit, a relationship, a role, a belief, or a story that we should leave behind?
I’ve been thinking about the stories I have carried, especially through the last two years … about aging, working, and relationships. Some protected me when I felt really vulnerable or was not yet ready to face what was true. Some motivated me to take chances and try new things. Others helped me make it through periods when I had no idea what was coming next.
A story can serve us for a while and still become too heavy to keep carrying.
Maybe the focus for this fall is not about setting another goal, achieving more, or immediately replacing an old story with a shiny new one.
Maybe the focus is simply recognizing that we are finished carrying something. And then recognizing that if it’s no longer working for us, all we have to do is put it down.
The hummingbirds didn’t hover at the feeder mourning the summer. They knew it was time to go. And they left. Likely at some point in the night.
Quietly.
No big announcement.
Just a gentle “peace out.”
So perhaps, as fall arrives, we don’t have to rush through its door.
Maybe we can stand at the threshold for a moment or two and, as Ashley suggested, simply notice what has changed and be grateful for what carried us this far. And gently ask ourselves, are there things, habits, people, or situations we don’t need to take with us into the next season?
I have a sense of a few things I am ready to release. I suspect I’ll be writing more about those in the weeks ahead.
But this morning, I’m sitting on the deck staring at the empty feeder, sipping my coffee and taking in the glorious quiet before the day begins. And remembering what an extraordinarily beautiful and meaningful summer it was.
I don’t want or need to rush into the next season just yet. I am going to spend some time in gratitude for the one that is ending.
And quietly begin putting down what I no longer need to carry forward.
___________________________
Quiet Questions
1. As you look back on the season you are leaving, what are you most grateful for? What did it give or teach you?
2. What might you be ready to gently put down, not because it was wrong or bad, but simply because it belongs to another season of your life?
3. If you put that down, what might you have more room for…peace, possibility, joy, rest, creativity, connection, or something else?
At Kellie Box Company, we believe peace is a practice and begins with each of us. Whether it’s a journal for capturing your quiet thoughts, a beautiful mug and a few minutes to yourself to sip one of our comforting teas, or our signature Quiet Time Box, our thoughtfully curated items support rituals of quiet and care for yourself or someone you care for. Visit our store here and enjoy 25% off everything during our summer sale through September 30. Use code: Summer26
0 comments