Yesterday’s mild temperatures allowed me to work in the yard and participate in a closing ritual that helped me to stop clinging to summer. I put away all of the garden tchotchke (pronounced chachki). They are decorative, sentimental knick-knacks with little purpose, other than to fill my yard with whimsical color. Demonstrating a desire to honor a season that I thoroughly enjoyed, I worked with the same reverence as when I store my holiday decorations. I moved about with mindful intention and peacefully removed dirt and grime from items that had been stuck in the ground or hanging from trees.
When the cleanup process was complete, there was still a beautiful begonia plant left to reign as a reminder of the lingering summer that refused to leave my heart. I wondered how long I would be able to count on the bright orange blossoms to greet me in the morning? A little internet research revealed that I could bring the plant inside. It seemed like a fitting tribute to the colorful blooms that had delighted me since June.
Yet as I continued to reflect on my ritual of bringing in the garden tchotchke, I realized that it won’t be long before my backyard is covered with a soft blanket of snow. I will sit wrapped in a quilt and marvel at the twinkling frozen beauty. Each season has its own splendor to uncover. As I immerse myself in it, I often hate to see it depart. My closing rituals help me to move on, to stop clinging to what was, to respect the period of transition and to appreciate the next precious moment of the season I am in. So what am I doing to experience Autumn?
Journal Writing Technique
The entry above is an example of a Captured Moment, a form of descriptive writing that freezes a moment in time. It can be written as an event is happening or as a memory of something that has already happened. I combined the Captured Moment technique with Reflection, statements that describe the meaning of the experience for me.
When I re-read my journal entry, I was moved by the suggestion to appreciate “the season that I am in.” In response, I took a walk in the cool fall air, felt the crunching of leaves beneath my feet and viewed the changing colors of the trees along the Erie Canal. I was truly in the present moment and my heart swelled with the grace of Autumn.