Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere is a great reminder that life isn’t static. The green leaves turn to blazing colors that stun us before falling and crumpling into fertilizer. That fertilizer will settle under a forthcoming blanket of snow until the spring that follows. In due season all things change. 

Whenever I’m in a difficult situation I try to remember that “this too shall pass.” Negative circumstances aren’t permanent because life offers us inevitable transitions. Birth, death, loss, gain, illness, healing, promotion, termination, disaster, generosity — the twists and turns are unending. Even the smallest shift can alter our situation. So, however bad a reality may be, I take comfort knowing that things will be different at some point. Grant it, that difference may not always be an immediate improvement, but at least it’s a change and, eventually, I believe it moves toward better… if not in my lifetime, perhaps for future generations… and, if nothing else, ultimately in the soul life of heaven. 

I also try to keep in mind this same respect for inevitable change whenever times are good, so as to not take them for granted. The blissful, peaceful, and beautifully uneventful days of life are to be fully appreciated, for they also will give way to impermanence. Recognize and enjoy the gifts before you, before they depart. 

And of course life is usually a mix all at once. Hard times come with graced moments, and lovely stretches can be sprinkled with challenges. Yet it is here among the ebb and flow of life that we get to choose our focus, while staying present to it all. We can savor the blessings and trust, when needed, that “change is the only constant in life,” as the ancient saying goes. 

May you be inspired!