Change

Everything changes; nothing stands still.
- Heraclitus

Here in Vermont, the movement from season to season is marked with particular clarity. At our home at Stone Hill Farm, we find ourselves on the cusp of spring, our ancient maples quietly bearing witness, day by day, as winter’s seemingly relentless grip on the land gives way to the first revelations of Earth beneath the pristine white.


From my earliest childhood memories, I have marveled at this process. My awe at its mystery has only deepened over the course of my life. Deep winter snows appear timeless, immovable - fixed structures that define the landscape. And then one magical warm day arrives and the entire mood of the land changes within a few short hours. Snows recede and evidence of seasons past - composting leaves and small fallen branches of autumn, grasses of summer - all begin to find their way back into our sight and imagination. What seemed so permanent and everlasting the day before is gone, replaced by the unmistakable evidence of time moving through the world around us.


It has been said that the only permanence in life is change. We - like our Earth - are ever-evolving. Our bodies, life experiences, the world that surrounds us - all are cast in a universe that cycles, spins, and pulls us through its rhythms, inviting us to dance. The question is, will we accept the invitation?


For many of us, change brings an attendant anxiety, as it necessitates letting go of the familiar to embrace the unknown. How we navigate that process is fundamentally reflective of how open we are to new realities, influenced by our life experience and world view. Confronted by this process, we often struggle, negotiate, rail against it, exhausting ourselves.


At such times, it’s important to gently remind ourselves that we have a choice. While we cannot control the cycles of the planet’s orbit or our movements through time and space, we can say yes to the cosmic invitation, accept our inexorable role in the dance and enjoy the journey. Letting go and allowing change opens our hands, hearts, and beings to the fullness of what’s right here, right now…and to the perpetual gifts of our endlessly abundant universe.

Yours From The Core,
​Shyla