Our stories are written in nature.
The other day as I walked out my front door I was greeted by a strong, windy day. The branches of the big tree in front of my apartment swayed almost violently as they dropped a bunch of leaves. As the leaves fell the warm morning sunlight hit them in a beautiful way. It caused me to pause. Each one of the leaves popped with color, illuminated by the morning sun for the few seconds of their free fall to the ground.
As I stood there, I took in a long, slow breath of the fresh autumn air deep into my lungs and held it for a few moments. I thought about how quickly that tree had changed. Just one day ago it was full of bright orange leaves. But now the branches were almost completely empty. The winds of change had ripped through that beautiful tree and changed it overnight.
The tree is now laid bare, yet it still remains strong. It is the same tree it was yesterday, but much has changed about it. It must now endure the long brutal winter in preparation and hope for the new life that comes with spring.
Stepping Back 