09/27/2023
I see your true colours;
Did you know that Autumn is the only time the trees show us who they really are?
The leaves emerge in the Spring sunshine, bursting from branches, protected by a mask of chlorophyll that gives them their green hue. It is as though they have arrived at a party in costume, unsure of how they will be received, finding security in their facade until they have a better understanding of the crowd and their place in it.
As the summer wears on, the sun demands attention for long days and late evenings and so the leaves grip tightly to their masks. Their disguise helps them put to better use the gifts sent by their sun partner. It helps them work.
They do not judge themselves for requiring the mask. It serves an important purpose. It is the best the leaves can do.
In Autumn, as the days grow shorter and the leaves have taken all they needed, they shed their green masks, revealing the colours they had inside all along.
They are not adding to themselves to appear that way, they are not becoming more beautiful by being productive; Not by taking and hoarding and longing.
Their beauty is revealed through the process of release. They stop producing new chlorophyll and eventually destroy any that remains, and they completely let go. They exhale. They slow down.
They rest.
Their deepest, most honest selves are revealed in this rest, and they are fearless in this vulnerability because they know it is beautiful. The yellows and oranges sing, Look! Look what rest can do!
They know that slowing down and releasing are required for the cycle to continue. They know they won't be ready to burst forth when Spring returns if they resist this crucial pause.
Rest and release might help us celebrate our true colours, too.
It cannot always be Spring.
But Spring will come again.
And our beautiful rest might assure our readiness for when it does.
🍁
