Evergreen Counselling Group, Evergreen Counselling, Fall, Autumn, Kelowna, Vernon, British Columbia, Counselling

As the days get shorter and cool wind once more nips at exposed faces, we realize that summer is officially over. The rain has reappeared with a fury, reminding me of the dull and dreary years spent on the West Coast. The sun is slowly but surely disappearing, leaving us each day with less and less light to enjoy. And then the bright and vibrant leaves of fall will turn into the snowy, lifeless branches of winter.

As someone who lives for the long sunny months, I feel this realization usually brings with it a sense of sadness. A loss, in a sense. Like saying goodbye to a roommate at college before parting ways for summer break. There is a mutual understanding that it will be a while until things are this way again. For some, this can lead to feelings of dread. For others a sense of melancholy, sometimes in the form of the much-too-real Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This too has been my traditional take on it. And for the first time in a while I am not moving cities, taking on a new role, or starting a new situation that breathes life into this fall period.

In the past I might have found myself downcast, attempt to “wait out” the fall and winter before the life-giving spring re-emerges. That is, until my wife showed me the beauty of fall. It is a time of decay, yes, but there is joy in that time as well. The temperature has fallen to an adequate level (no more 40° Celsius, Okanagan!), the trees are picturesque, and there is now an excuse to enjoy hot coffee again (and maybe indulge in a PSL!). Beyond that, there is the times of connecting with family and friends. For many people, Thanksgiving is a time of reorientation, a time of togetherness without the pressures of gifts or religious symbolism like Christmas.

So I have learnt to enjoy autumn. And more than that, what I have come to realize over my years is to enjoy each season. Because while they share certain aspects, they are all different. They are each unique. I will only get this season once. Life repeats, but it is not cyclical. Each year is different than the last, and each time the earth revolves around the sun I learn something.

So as you go into this season as beyond, whether it be your favourite or your least, make it one to remember. Let it be a time of growth, a time of blessing, a time of renewal – wherever you find yourself. Learn and be shaped by the people you love, the people who inspire you, and the person you want to be. As the leaves fall, may we rise in eager expectation of this moment.