For every season there is a time
CHERRIL DOTY
STOP! Enough, already.
I had finished my morning walk. It was filled with luscious
moments -- just the way I like it. Moments to enjoy the sweeping view
at Crescent Point were brief, yet still filled with sights to
replenish my spirit. There were sea lions frolicking in “school” off
the rocks seaward of the point. Swooping pelicans with their comic
pratfalls caused the usual intake of breath followed by a hearty
laugh. And, as I turned to leave, I saw two dolphins at play well
within the cove at Crescent Bay. What delight!
So what’s the problem?
For the past couple of weeks I had noted the gradual building of
decorative energy aimed at Christmas. I must have tucked away the
irksomeness of it, for when I saw a simple green garland adorning a
fence this morning, I blew. C’mon. Let us celebrate one holiday
before we go on to the next. I want to cherish the moments of
noticing just what I am grateful for before I have to move on. And we
are still two weeks from Thanksgiving.
Don’t get me wrong here. Unlike some folks, I love the whole
holiday thing. I just like the holidays to come one at a time.
Twinkling lights in trees give me a warm glow in the nippy air. Can
we wait until December? (And what happened to the energy crisis
anyway?) The artists’ palettes are a lovely expression of our town
... in December. How about the palette of autumnal colors that we
associate with Thanksgiving? Where are those tints? Where are the
gourds, cornucopias, meats, fruits and vegetables, that represent the
plenty for which the colonists were giving thanks?
We are so fortunate. Still, I don’t think it hurts at all to be
reminded of that good fortune. We have “easy” weather, the abundance
of plenty on our plates, a roof over our heads. Sometimes, I think we
just get jaded and move on to that next thing a bit too quickly. So I
am taking a stand against all the push to begin the shimmer and shine
before we do the crimsons and oranges and golden tones of autumn in
celebration of -- like the pilgrims -- the fall harvest. We may no
longer grow our own corn for which to give thanks, but we only need
to walk along the seashore on any given day to see the plenty we can
glean.
I want these remaining few weeks before Thanksgiving for focus on
the gratitude I feel. Surely, I am not alone in this. Let us savor
the slight changes in the days. Give us the warm colors of autumn
before bringing on the winter’s images. I ask this of all you
merchants out there: Slow it down a bit. Let us have time to be
grateful. Personally, I will be far more open to the giving season
upcoming if first I may bask in the glories of autumn and feel the
thanks in my heart.
In this vein, thanks first go to Haster Grove for the simple green
garland that set this all off in the first place. I am even now
plotting to adapt the decorations for my booth at the Winter Fantasy
to include, first, the warm hues of autumn. Thanks, also, to May
Sarton for her poem “Hour of Proof,” wherein she writes of this
special season:
The place and time where dancing growth is still,
And light and structure gently intersect;
... shows us the summer green for what it was.
The autumn light X-rays our sealed-up riches; ...
Go ... and catch a falling sun!
Let us do honor to this “hour of proof” by our observance and
celebration of it and it alone.
* CHERRIL DOTY is a creative living coach, writer, artist, and
walker who lives and works in Laguna Beach. To schedule a coaching
session or comment, contact her by e-mail at coach@cherrildoty.com or
by phone at (949) 251-3993.
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