“Hidden inside…”

…you know the sprout is hidden inside the seed.
We are all struggling; none of us has gone far.
Let your arrogance go, and look around inside.

The blue sky opens out farther and farther,
the daily sense of failure goes away
the damage I have done to myself fades,
a million suns come forward with light,
when I sit firmly in that world.

- KABIR – (trans. Robert Bly)

Autumn in the Hudson Valley. This morning a blizzard of yellow leaves storms into the yard. Such an elegant, graceful letting go. Dancing toward the dark; toward the frozen; toward the time of sorting seeds from the harvest. I love this time of year. It is the time of root vegetables; rich creamy soups–parsnip apple; gingery butternut squash; cauliflower with potato, cumin and coriander. It is the time of pies and crisps; of hot morning cereals; of reading by the fireplace. It is the time of walks in the woods ablaze with color. The faint smell of smoke in the early morning, the smell of moist leaves and oak and locust drying in the woodpile.

I am in the autumn of my life. Officially, one year away from “early retirement” age. The thought boggles my mind–unimaginable! Now is the intersection of life experience and wisdom; now is the cornucopia of a bountiful harvest; now just is. Gray and white hairs, wrinkles, sagging skin tell a story so different from how I feel–strong, balanced, joyful, inspired, excited and filled with gratitude.