THOUGHTS ON THE IN-BETWEEN - A PATINA MEADOW REFLECTION

We are entering the season of the in-between.

Not yet fall, and yet not quite the fullness of summer. In August, it feels as though the earth is giving the last green that it has to give. It is not as jubilant and bright as the first sprouts of spring, but rather a richer shade, one brought about under the stress of an unrelenting sun.

There is a discomfort in this season. At least, there is for me. I do not like change. I do not like to see what was once flourishing, now fading. I much prefer a cool breeze touching my skin rather than feeling the weight of a still, humid day, and yet I've grown accustomed to the latter. For now, the shifts are subtle, but soon, they will be impossible to ignore.

But there is also a comfort here. A knowing that something is coming around the bend. The end of what we have come to know is an invitation to the beginning of a new experience. Fresh beauty will emerge from what can no longer stand. It may not be the same sweet fruits that we are harvesting now, but others will ripen, and we will pluck them from a new vine.

It is not natural for us to remain where we have been. We are meant to wander, if only through the landscapes of our minds. We are meant to appreciate what we have, and hold on to it, maybe even a bit too tightly, before letting it go, in favor of what is budding just out of reach.

But, for some reason, that is one of the hardest things for us to do. Be it for reasons that have been beaten into our very nature by a history of survival, or the sweet memories that we carry from times past, we do not want to let go. Even when what we are grasping onto is already slipping from our hands.

However, we must. We must unclench our fists and feel the relief that comes when muscles are freed from tension and breath is allowed to return to a relaxed rhythm. We must trust that something is leaving because it is time for it to go. Because it's only in that space that we can receive whatever new, unknown gift we are meant to pick up.

And we will miss what was. There will be days when we long for this very moment. But we cannot allow ourselves to be left behind as time continues to march toward an unseen destination.

Because that is what it is to be alive. We are always, in some way, in the in-between. We are all just passing through on our way to some other destination.

So what are we to do here? That is for you to discover. But I know what I will be doing, at least for now. I will be praying. I will be taking walks in the woods and watching the world change. I will be floating down rivers with friends, and hiking up hills with strangers. I will be finding joy in the unlikely places, and I will be sitting in moments of discomfort as I strain my neck to see what is around the corner.

I will be living.

And that is about all we can do.

Love,

Leila