Happy Fall Everyone!  It’s been a while since I’ve posted and honestly, it’s been a while since I wrote a blog post. I intended to take a break at the end of the summer and jump back in at the beginning of the season, but work had taken over my life in a way that I did not anticipate. However, I am slowly finding my way back home to myself and it feels so good to be home.

         Last week, I took off Monday and Tuesday to give myself a four-day weekend. I spent two full days in bed watching movies, journaling, and reading. I spent two days exploring, running errands, and just allowing myself the opportunity to move unrushed and unhurried. It was glorious and a wonderful start to this journey of putting myself first again. On Tuesday, I decided to go to Central Park and take in the fall foliage. Every year, I tell myself that I will do this, and every year I don’t make the time or the effort. I always told myself that I wanted to walk around Central Park with a date looking at the fall foliage, but I want to stop waiting for people to live my life.

         I had a wonderful time walking and taking pictures, and just allowing myself to be in the presence of the trees and nature. Here in New York City, October was the driest month ever recorded, and a drought was just declared throughout the city. Besides the obvious concern this poses and the clear effects of climate change, what this means is that the trees are changing but missing their vibrant hues. I love fall, and I think it might be my favorite season. Growing up in Florida we don’t have seasons, so I love seeing the trees change. I love the lessons that they teach us about the beauty in letting the dead things go.

         Trees need rain to produce the majestic colors that we associate with autumn. Without the rain, they will shed their leaves and the leaves will change, but they honestly just look like dead leaves. As I’ve walked around the city looking at the trees still doing what they know to do, I was reminded of how many of us are like these trees. We are not taking the time to water ourselves, to pour into ourselves, to fill ourselves with the things that give us life. We walk around still functioning, still doing our jobs, still surviving, and if you look at us you would think we’re doing well, without knowing that we could be so much more.

         We live in a society that pushes us to be better, stronger, more successful, more attractive, wealthier, always striving to be something more. Outwardly we might seem ok, but the truth is we are not living in our full potential. We do not take the time to take stock and to consider the ways in which we are not nurturing ourselves.  If you never saw the trees in their full glory, you would still be in awe of them. They are beautiful and majestic, but they are not thriving.

         As we head deeper into fall, and the colder months, now is the perfect time to stop and ask yourself in what ways have you been neglecting you? Many of us have so many responsibilities and expectations that are required of us, we always put ourselves last. We think we are ok, when in fact we are barely making it. We have put our dreams and desires on hold. We have stopped taking care of ourselves. We tell ourselves we will do these things when we have the time. The time is now. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. And unlike the trees, we are not at the whim of Mother Nature. We can pour into our lives right here and right now. You deserve to be the fullest version of yourself.

         Here are a few questions you can ask yourself as you embark on this journey:

1. How am I showing up in the world? Do I like how I am showing up?
2. What areas of my life are suffering from neglect?
3. What dreams and goals have I put on the backburner to survive?
4. What brings me joy? List 5 things.
5. Do at least one of those 5 things once a week.