Reflection
When August's Tips&Tools about PLAY evoked so many reader responses, I decided to share just a few before we move to September's topic:
Another winner -- from one child who didn't play enough to another -- and from one who still needs to play more. "Work before pleasure" is too engrained in my brain --I need a class in being playful!
Rachael... I love this one! Can hardly wait to write to my granddaughter... and to write to "me" as well. Thank you!!!
Another legacy post that strikes a chord in me. I took your play advice and went to the beach today. Being in the waves, even though I stay mainly on shore, feeling sand under my feet and sun shining always brings me back to the fun of childhood -- the best part of our life in Miami Beach was our Mom taking us to the beach when we were little.
Rach -- I loved this one. For me play is just: not knowing how something is going to come out, and letting that be. xo
So now on to September: Whether you're a parent with children at home, a baby boomer, or living Adulthood II (Mary Catherine Bateson's term for people 60 - 90), September marks a special transition: nostalgia for the waning of summer, anticipation for the harvest of autumn, but on another level -- Remember the bittersweet song by Kurt Weill, sung in every generation -- by Frank Sinatra, Jessica Lange, or Willy Nelson:
Oh, it's a long, long while
From May to December
But the days grow short,
When you reach September.
When the autumn weather
Turn leaves to flame
One hasn't got time
For the waiting game.
Metaphorically the seasons mark the journey of our lives and the collective lives of our families. September, a time of transition, heralds harvest, beautiful leaves, school bells calling a new year, but September also foreshadows winter when days are more dark than light, when our growth is quiet and slower, when rest prepares us to let go of the old and open to the new. As the song reminds so powerfully, we haven't got time to waste.
Principles of Practice
1. Reflect from the perspective of the life cycle. Which aspects of your life are in September? (in transition, yearning for more summer and/or dreading the cold of winter) Which aspects of your life are concluded, which unfinished, and which are about to be born? Consider these questions about your family's life cycle as well.
2. From a spiritual perspective, what do the lines of the song mean to you at this time in your life? "One hasn't got time/For the waiting game."
3. How do you recognize, acknowledge, celebrate, grieve an aspect of your life (or the changing shape of your family) that is in flux, moving from one season to another, ending or beginning?
4. Sit in your favorite quiet and comfortable place with a cup of tea or a mug of coffee to write a legacy letter to a confidante (or a family member) about your autumn realities. Your letter may include your thoughts about transition, new growth and passions, preparing for dark times. Beyond thoughts, you may also want to express your feelings about the 2015 autumns of your life.
... May you open to autumn ...
allowing your heart and mind to receive this time in your life,-- Rachael Freed
Rachael Freed, Founder of Life-Legacies (for information, visit www.life-legacies.com), Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist. An inspirational lecturer and workshop facilitator, she provides legacy-related programs and training for health care, philanthropic, and religious organizations, for public and non-profit corporations, and for diverse groups of individuals experiencing life transitions. She is the author of Women's Lives, Women's Legacies: Passing Your Beliefs and Blessings to Future Generations and The Women's Legacies Workbook for the Busy Woman: A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing a Spiritual-Ethical Will in 2 Hours or Less. Freed's newest book, 2013, is "Your Legacy Matters: Harvesting the Love and Lessons of Your Life - An Intergenerational Guide for Creating Your Ethical Will".
Freed has trained cardiac professionals internationally to support cardiac families. The 25th Year Anniversary Edition of Heartmates: A Guide for the Spouse and Family of the Heart Patient will be published in August, 2012 and the Third Edition of The Heartmates Journal: A Companion for Partners of People with Heart Disease, are the only resources available to support the emotional and spiritual recovery of families coping with heart disease. For more information, visit www.heartmates.us.
Follow Rachael Freed on Twitter: www.twitter.com/legacywriter