Seasons of Growth: Lessons from the plant & animal kingdom

Fall is upon us, and the shift is undeniable—the cooler weather, the leaves changing colors, the earlier sunsets, and our growing desire to stay inside. Squirrels are scurrying desperately, trying to pile up acorns for winter, while birds are preparing for long migrations to warmer climates.

It’s hard to imagine living as our ancestors once did, with their lives so closely tied to the seasons. They could only make their blackberry jam in the early summer months, and in winter, they had to make do with whatever fruits were still available. Heavy winds and rain could blow out their fires, and the new moon meant nights of pitch-black darkness.

Today, our society has done an incredible job providing us with the comforts and luxuries of modern life. We can enjoy fruits and vegetables imported from all over the world, stream any movie at any time, and heat our food in a minute with a microwave. While this is amazing, it has also created a separation between us, the earth, and the changing seasons. The phases of the moon no longer affect our daily lives, and the dormancy of plants may catch our eye aesthetically, but it doesn’t impact what we’ll eat that night.

While these advancements are necessary for our comfort and survival, we have to ask: how healthy is it that we’ve built a barrier between ourselves and the rest of the natural world?

I don’t have all the answers, nor am I trying to invoke guilt for society’s natural evolution, but what if we took a moment to reconnect with those ancient rhythms? To recognize that, just like the squirrels gathering their acorns, we too are part of this natural cycle. This could mean trying to eat foods that are in season locally, starting a garden and noticing the plants bloom in spring and go dormant in winter, or simply observing the life around us. There’s a wisdom in the way nature prepares itself for each season, and we can learn from that.

As the trees shed their leaves and the natural world slows down in autumn, taking time to rest before bursting into life again in the spring, we too can enter a period of quiet and inner reflection. By allowing ourselves to shift with the seasons, we can remember that we are still part of this natural rhythm, even if at times we lose sight of it.