Letting Go

FIRST THOUGHTS.

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.
~ Elizabeth Lawrence

Relaxed, adrift, deeply silent. My waking hours brought thoughts of autumn and how the earth is preparing for its long winter nap. At least in many parts of the world.

I wondered if our rose bushes, covered in old sheets, had survived the below freezing temperatures. The weekend is supposed to be warmer, so I hoped they would be around to enjoy for a few more days.

Thinking about this in that hazy state of mind that morning brings, I knew I was wishing for something that probably didn’t matter in the overall scheme of things. Inevitably, the roses would die back with the advance of colder temperatures. I couldn’t prevent it … no matter how much I tried. Change was imminent. Yet this natural event was triggering feelings of loss for me. Deeper feelings that went beyond a rose in autumn.

Roses
by George Eliot

You love the roses – so do I. I wish
The sky would rain down roses, as they rain
From off the shaken bush. Why will it not?
Then all the valley would be pink and white
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light
As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be
Like sleeping and like waking, all at once!

But saying good-bye, even to plants we have cared for all summer, can be less than joyful. I wished for more days of “wine and roses,” and wished for more time. Endings, something we often resist. Yet, our resistance creates suffering, according to many spiritual leaders. So I counseled myself to accept the moment that nature had created for reasons beyond my full awareness. I reminded myself that roses return in the spring, undeterred by winter’s fury.

The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns;
the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose.
~ Kahlil Gibran

And I also tried to let go my mortal definition of time. On a spiritual level, we are all timeless, as we move beyond calendars, seasons, and 24-hour cycles with ease. So I drifted with the dawn for a few more minutes, knowing I would be fully awake soon. But then I moved into feelings of gratitude — for the beauty of summer, the delicate fragrance of a rose, the fragile bloom that somehow transforms my day.

There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to
paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to
forget all the roses that were ever painted.
~ Henri Matisse

I realized that gratitude brings surrender. Like a waterfall, it also brings a rush of energy by allowing a mellow kind of joy to permeate our awareness. It also takes us beyond clinging, allowing us to let go a bit easier.

A single rose can be my garden, a single friend my world.
~ Leo Buscaglia

How does letting go of beauty or the seasons impact you? When did you last study or really appreciate a rose? Do you bring them into your home for no special reason, even during the winter months? Ever meditated on a rose? Ever painted roses, written poetry about them?

And so, the day is here, welcomed more warmly than I’d imagined.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and time in this sunny space for kindred spirits.

D.A. (Daisy) Hickman

As a dedicated student of life, society, and culture, writing is a fascinating form of meditation―a way to connect more deeply with the complexities of the human condition. I’m a spiritual thinker in many respects, intrigued by the unknown, the unexplored, and always striving to find solace in the journey.

I see the sun, and if I don’t see the sun, I know it’s there. And there’s a whole life in that, in knowing that the sun is there. —Dostoyevsky

Author, poet, and blogger, D. A. Hickman is the founder of SunnyRoomStudio: a creative sunny space for kindred spirits launched in 2010. Publishing since 1999, Happy Truth: Last Dogs Aren’t Always Last is a recent memoir about sharing a life with beloved pets, losing them, and deciding to love again.

“Sifting through the world of literature to share the resonance that others have felt for animals throughout the ages, we learn that the author is a keen observer of social intelligence and the best sort of human who is grateful for the magic, warmth, and happiness of animals.” ― Jacqueline Sheehan, NYT bestselling novelist

Earlier titles include: Ancients of the Earth: Poems of Time (2017), The Silence of Morning: A Memoir of Time Undone (2015), Always Returning: The Wisdom of Place (2014).

Discover more about each title on the Books page, Amazon, or Goodreads.

A member of the Academy of American Poets, Hickman is at work on a new book of poetry and a collection of essays. Academic credits: M.S. in sociology, Iowa State University; B.A. in legal studies, Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.

Author: Daisy

Related Posts