Energy of the East

Each season represents a direction. The Fall season is the energy of the East. The East represents change, washing away the old to bring in the new and new beginnings. Of course to have a fresh start, you need to let something go. Five years ago, I was in the throes of massive changes. I had only begun to shift...but as one domino was toppling, many more were sure to follow. The following article was written five years ago, when I still had time for spontaneous road trips, as my kids were young enough to flee town for a weekend. Now, my kids are immersed in sports and activities and my road trip days are somewhat on hold. October 14, 2009: Another road trip with my kids this past weekend. We went the correct direction this time and headed to Lake Placid, NY. The message for me on this trip; enjoy the moment, appreciate the positive souls who crossed our paths and notice the changes all around me. Being in the moment with my kids was easy. We stopped for lunch at a diner on the way to Placid and I had to laugh when we had an interesting encounter with a stranger. The diner was packed and my children were actually being relatively quiet at the table. An older lady kept trying to get my attention and I was looking at her with a look of surprise because for the life of me, I could not figure out what she wanted. She got up and came closer and I finally heard her say, "Would you mind keeping your son quiet?" Well, now I was shocked! Look, I have very spirited kids. The downside of not squashing their spirit is sometimes they can be very difficult to contain. So believe me, my kids can get out of control, but this was not one of those moments. I swear, they were playing nicely! She was talking about my four year old, who was playing with two pencils and pretending that they were cars racing. He was having a blast. The adults in the restaurant were being louder than him. I quickly replied, "excuse me?" with the hope that she was actually joking. "Do you speak English?" she said loudly. I started laughing. She repeated her absurd statement several more times asking if I would mind keeping him quiet, because he was driving her husband crazy. Wow, a playing, happy child was driving her husband crazy. What does that say about him! I finally said, mustering up a great deal of patience, "Yes I do mind, he is playing nicely and I will not ask him to stop." She was surprised that she could not control the world around her. An adult that was not willing to behave! Usually, I might get a little more feisty with someone like that, but I noted the change in myself, that my patience had definitely increased. We did not give the incident another thought, but I bet she and her husband ruminated about it the rest of the day! You cannot control the world around you, only how you react to it. That evening at dinner, we crossed paths with people who were so friendly and attentive to my kids. The three tables around us in the restaurant asked my kids questions, laughed at their jokes and genuinely seemed amused by them. It was a pleasure! As far as noticing other changes, the autumn colors are hard to miss! We hiked a familiar mountain, but this time the trail looked very different in the fall. As in life, sometimes we take the same route but the changes in and around us can be breathtaking. I also recognized a significant change in my oldest son. At nine years old, his nature is always more cautious. On hikes, he usually tends to go slow and always watch his step. This time however, he approached the trail differently and headed up first, completing the hike faster than us and by himself. He was beaming with pride when we caught up with him at the top. His new found confidence was clearly showing. On the way down, now feeling like an expert at this trail, he helped his little brother all the way down. He emerged from the trail with a profound new sense of himself and I beamed too knowing it was one of many lessons he would learn in life. He found the hiker within, the risk taker and the ability to help show other's the way. We all have those moments, when we approach the trail of life with a little more bravery, we face our fears and emerge stronger and transformed, then help others do the same.