JB: Indian Summer

How about this Indian summer we're having in the San Francisco Bay Area!

I love it.

When I moved away from the coast for a few years one of the things I missed most was our Indian summers. Every year we get a warm streak in September/October and since this year is El Niño the weather is more unpredictable and pregnant with energy, hinting at exciting storms coming our way... And yes, I absolutely love storms too. I sit in my car at the beach and watch the angry waves crash over the sea wall, it's so powerful and soothing at the same time.

Do you ever feel like you're having internal struggles that are intense and challenging and you can't necessarily blame them on your circumstances, since everything appears to be going "fine"? Some periods in life I have smooth sailing, favor and golden opportunities. Other times I must trudge through the mud to build my character and foundations on the inside so that I'm ready for the amazing upgrades coming my way. So that they'll be a wonderful addition to my life, not become who I am and what I base my value and identity around. There's an order to everything, and it helps so much to identify what season you're in and then learn the tools and keys you need to thrive in that time. The natural cycles of farming symbolically reveal the principles of our personal seasons too. In the spring new things are planted and sprout, in the summer they come to fruition and are harvested. In the fall the extras die away and create soil for new things to be planted again as they decompose. Then in the winter there's a quiet where all seems dead but the potential is hidden underneath the soil and is preparing itself to receive the seed and new life to rise up once more. And so it repeats. To relate these patterns to my life, for example I could say that I'll go through a time where I'm learning new things, getting inspiration and ideas, seeds are being planted in my life and it's exciting. Then we shift gears and I'm harvesting and enjoying the fruits of my labor, learning ideas, inspirations, I'm feeling success and favor in areas that I didn't have before. But all of the sudden I'm no longer riding that sweet wave. The flow I was operating in has run dry. Areas that I felt like I was doing great in are dying off and the focus seems to be moving towards other topics, whether I like it or not. And next I feel like there's a serious lack in new life but there seems to be a trend of internal heart surgery that is trying to get my attention, because I didn't realize that those pains and issues were always a symptom of my heart's condition. It must be time to work on healing those up and rehabilitating! The personal seasons don't necessarily go in that order either, but they're all essential to shape us into who we are meant to be. Spring, summer, fall, winter... If I'm spending my time fighting to make things grow that just aren't working when I'm actually in a winter season where I'm supposed to be preparing and working on my character, it'll feel like I'm fighting the wind and waves, swimming against the current. It's exhausting and there's not much headway I can make. Metaphorically speaking, everyone wants it to be summer all the time! But summer would never come without the fall, winter and spring to set it up. I make sure to stay thankful and embrace the struggle, the fight, the failures and frustrations. The sooner I humble myself, summon my courage, and figure out the lesson I'm supposed to be learning through it all, surrendering to the process and challenging the fears I must defeat, the more at peace I'll be and the bigger perspective I'll have of the light at the end of the tunnel. The purpose to the pain.

Remember, no matter what season of life you're in, you always have the opportunity to thrive! A higher perspective and focus on the right things are key. I have my good days and then my bad weeks but not all is lost. In fact, I have everything to gain from each season of life! I am being formed into a better lover, a more patient nurturer, an empowering force that cheers others on to face their fears head on and overcome. I hope you are encouraged and inspired by my blog.

Have a lovely rest of your week!

Sincerely,

Jenna