Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter


We've all heard the old metaphor that life follows the year's seasons, and that we reap what we sow. I've been thinking on that analogy for many years now, and have some thoughts on that whole "reap what you sow" bit.

Spring is birth to age 25. Everything is new, and the colors are vibrant. It's also a bit muddy and messy. The fields are ready for planting.

Summer is age 25-50. The serious work begins. The heat and passions are evident. The crops are growing. The violent storms can ruin everything or clean out space for new growth.

Fall is age 50-75. Harvest season. A time to count and inventory. The sun & sky are beautiful but lack the intensity of summer.

Winter is age 75 to death. A time of quiet, and preparing for rebirth in the Spring.

In my first 47 years of life, I've thought of the sowing in purely monetary and achievement frameworks. I only saw the education, the college degrees, the career work, the 401(k), the money market, the stocks, etc. Consequently I only considered the reaping along the same lines: having money in the Fall, having a successful business, having a really nice house, traveling.

However, in the last 10 years I've had a revelation. The sowing was about human connections. It was about seeds of compassion, gratitude, and generosity. The reaping was about my soul, not my bank account. The reaping was about the harvesting of wisdom and grace. I now see that my financial life can be in shambles but the harvest can be rich nonetheless. My body can be spent and broken, but the real achievement is the love I offered, the hope I maintained, and the lessons learned.

Life keeps teaching me everyday.

9 comments:

Little Sister said...

Beautifully said.

Unknown said...

Margaret, this is beautiful. I'm sort of hoping the summer goes on til 60.........because if not the fall and winter are looking mighty damn bleak in some respects.

Shannon said...

This is so wonderful Margaret! You really need to submit this somewhere! (Maybe expand it a tiny bit, make it long enough to be a good one-page essay at the end of magazine?) I just know there is a place for this piece somewhere out there, in print. I love it!

...tom... said...

...

OMG. It is 'autumn time' for me..!!

Though if I read your tone and tenor correctly . . .it should not be something we fear but something we embrace. I think/hope I am doing that. ...:minism:...


Ditto Shan's thoughts. A wonderful, contemplative piece that perhaps deserves a wider audience. (Well, not that those who read here are not pleased to have first dibs..!!)


...tom...
.

Life As I Know It Now said...

beautifully said :)

Unknown said...

This is wonderfully said... Life is good...

Unknown said...

PS: We had a quick drive thru of Northfield...I forget what a beautiful area that is...

Churlita said...

Nice. I think you're right. I'd also add experiences and adventures in with the relationships. Beautiful post.

Anonymous said...

The heat and passions are evident
___________________
Julie
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