Fall is Beautiful

As the air becomes crisp, the water is too cold to swim in, and the leaves begin to change, we begin to dread that winter is on its way and summer is over. But why must we think so far ahead? What is wrong with right now? Yes, summer is gone, winter is on its way, but fall is here now, and it is beautiful.

We often spend our time thinking about the past or the future, never the present. What we said in the past, what that person did, what our future will bring, but all too rarely what we are doing and who we are with right at this moment. I myself am guilty of this, I know. My future is a daily conversation recently. Either that or thinking about what I did in the past, regrets, or wishing I was younger. But that's when I know it's time to get a new perspective.

Yes, the past and the future are important. But so is right now. This exact second only happens once in your lifetime. If we spent all our time behind us or ahead of us then we would never see what’s here now. We need to enjoy the people we are currently with, not busy making plans with someone else. Stop spending our time worrying about what tomorrow will bring and just enjoy whatever today has to offer.

When I find myself stuck in the past or stuck in the future, I know it's time to step back and look at the big picture. That is when I climb a mountain and look at the sea of those red, orange, and yellow leaves that fall is so famous for. There is nothing like climbing to the top of a mountain in the fall to gain a new perspective on life. Seeing all that land, the lakes and trees and the big open sky. I realize that there is this huge, beautiful world we live in and we don’t have to see the whole thing at once. Enjoying just a little bit of it at a time is ok. And if we don’t stop and take the time to enjoy it while it’s here, as fall is a very short season where I live, then it will be gone and we would have missed it. A lot can be missed if our heads are stuck in the past or the future and not the present.

So, I challenge you to take a break from looking at the past and the future, but to look at the present moment for a while. Climb a mountain and admire God's creation as it is right now, today, this very moment. Because fall is here. And it is beautiful.