The swallows are flying low over the fields and are more visible in noisy groups now. They prepare to depart, even though the weather is still very mild. I found it an interesting learning experience to watch them – the sensation of joy which I had in their movement in the late afternoon sun was immediately followed by a pang of sadness in the thought that they will soon be gone. How hard it is just to allow things be, as they are, without wanting to hold on or immediately adding on some extra thoughts! It is easy to know intellectually that all things change, often in ways that we cannot predict. However, knowing that deep in my bones and accepting it is not always as simple. In this case, acceptance was not too difficult to achieve – swallows come and go in their own time and there is no way to stop them. So I am grateful for these Autumn changes – becoming more visible each day – as among the most important tools for learning which I have. They gently repeat, over and over again, many of the same truths. They allow me see how change has an effect on my moods and how I like to hold on. They show us how often I relate to things depending on how they make me feel, rather than with complete freedom. I resist change each day but change is inevitable; my happiness is related to the way I choose to respond to it.
Nothing is so fleeting as external form,
which withers and alters
like the flowers of the field at the appearance of autumn.
Umberto Eco
