The Joy of a Good Fall
IT’S been an interesting autumn and beginning of winter, and oh, we’re feeling it now. One of my favourite things about this time of year is seeing many of the autumn leaves still hanging on, brightening up a cloudy day. And when the afternoon sun shines through, they’re a sight to behold.
Over the past month, as I’ve been driving around town, I found myself marveling, even rejoicing, at the colours of the leaves, as I do every year, stopping to take photos to capture a little of the joy, the vibrancy and diversity I see.
I find it ridiculously entrancing. It surprises me how much these colours affect me year after year. They speak of so much. As I contemplated the seasons and the stunning colours, the leaves twirling through the air as they make their way, dancing across the street to settle on a neighbours lawn, I thought about the beauty of this season, known in other parts of the world as Fall.
I pondered the beauty of another kind of fall we might experience, a humbling, a failure. Something we don’t like to speak of, but something that can be the start of something truly beautiful and honest and powerful in our lives.
Author/speaker John Maxwell speaks of Failing Forward; Margaret Becker, songwriter, wrote of Falling Forward… I’ve always been drawn to these words as I feel that my whole life has been one of stumbling, falling, moving forward as I rise.
I wrote a note to self, maybe a blog or comments for a presentation, an epiphany that needed to be captured for the learning of it, even if it was mine alone, that my most humbling, heartbreaking season in my life was good for me.
Wow! To be grateful for the heartbreak is a massive shift; it’s one I’ve had before, regarding various times of heartbreak and healing. A stumble now is something that is still uncomfortable, but I can see beyond the immediate circumstance. I can see humour in the situation, or I can see that there’s valuable learning, even if I’m not sure what it is.
I know that good will come from the fall, because I am committed to learning, to falling forward, to continuing to live on purpose and give my best, to share what I can and make a bigger difference in the world.
The seasons we go through all have profound moments of joy and learning if we look for them, and richness of colour and intensity that I’m brave enough to immerse myself in. I will allow myself to feel, to experience, to learn from all that comes my way, and I will keep moving forward, focusing ahead, gaining momentum and knowing that as I do, I might fall less, and rise with more grace and wisdom to share.
A recent movie that encouraged me deeply is simply called JOY. You'll find it in the new release section or online. If you have been in business for a long time you may not find it light entertainment but you will relate to the challenge, the opposition, perhaps even the humiliation of things not going to plan. You might also feel vindicated and enormously encouraged to see how perseverance and sheer determination pays off.
As many wise teachers have been known to say “Our greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Many things can encourage us along the way, a good book, a conversation with a friend or a stranger, a movie, a quote or a conversation with yourself. Whatever it takes, get some encouragement in your world this week and keep on keeping on.
As many wise teachers have been known to say “Our greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”