Continuity

It’s mid-August in Tennessee’s mountains now, a time of somnolent peace in our forest. The spring rains that make the green forest possible have all but disappeared, giving way to a comfortable parade of long, slow, sunny days reminiscent of the carefree, no-school summers of my childhood. As I look out my window, I see a scattering of squirrels, some playfully chasing each other from branch to branch without a care, while others embark on mysterious, purposeful journeys as they transit their aerial highway of trees. This is a time of quietude, the serenity of my forest interrupted only by the low murmur of a duck on the lake or the occasionally raucous caw of a crow seeking its mates. It’s summertime and the livin’ is indeed easy.

But amidst this tranquility, the first intimations of seasonal change have already crept in, quietly yet with the insistence of inevitability. In the vast sea of summer-green trees around me, just a few seem unwilling to wait for the rich explosion of color that characterizes autumn in these mountains. Even now, in the quiet lethargy of summer, there are small, quite isolated pockets of leaves displaying hints of red, yellow and orange splendor, insouciant outliers rebelling against the surrounding empire of stately green majesty. Their nascent message is only a whisper, at least for now, but it’s an undertone that will grow to a colorful roar in the next few months as the emerging fall season erupts in the mountains.

The continuity of seasonal change is comforting to me. In a world where the pace of life seems to grow ever more rapid, fueled either by rampant new technology or the apparently accelerating occurrence of social upheaval, the stately progression of the seasons endures as something on which I comfortably depend. No matter how disquieting the rest of life may become, I know that my lazy summer days will be followed inexorably by the colorful beauty of autumn, the quiet regenerative hibernation of winter and the gentle rebirth of returning spring rains. I rely on the predictable replacement of each season by its successor just as I might rely on the continuing dependability of a good friend.

Perhaps there is a lesson for us in the continuity of the seasons. In our seemingly mad rush to change the world, I believe it is too easy for us to lose our ability to focus on the overall majesty of the natural environment. I also think there is value in periodically stepping back from our concerns about day-to-day affairs and in taking a few moments to reflect on the dignified grandeur of seasonal change. I know there is a place for me in each of the seasons, and there is one for you in each of them as well. Let’s try to find that place and learn to enjoy it daily as each season calmly but dependably passes into the next.


Note:
I intend to update this blog each week and I do hope you’ll re-visit it often. Since I thrive on your comments, I’d really love to hear from you. Please feel free to email me using the blue email link on the HOME PAGE for this site to send me any questions or comments you might have...or just to say hello. Thank you.

John Carroll