Dress Rehearsal of Life

Now that I live in the southeast, I have been able to observe the change of seasons. This fall I have reveled in the utter beauty of the trees and the grace with which they begin their striptease. Once they’ve completed the slow conversion of their leaves from greens to brilliant shades of yellows, oranges, burgundies and browns, they slowly, deliberately begin removing their summer-spring coats with the help of fall breezes.

A couple of weeks ago, I set out to jog on a familiar track and was mesmerized when an urgent breeze began plucking leaves from nearby trees. It felt like nature’s New Year’s Eve as a confetti of multi-colored leaves rained down around me. I paused to enjoy the wind caressing my face and to watch the leaves cascading through the air until they gently seesawed to the ground. And in that moment of beauty, I realized that each year, we are made witness to the following dress rehearsal of life:

In Spring, we are given examples of rebirth and revitalization. The grass returns, and flowers bloom. Trees cover themselves in leaves and return to looking vibrant and plush. Fruits begin to grow weighing down parental branches and life is made clear to us in obvious, obvious ways. It is nature in its infancy.

In Summer, abundance is apparent. Warm breezes and sunshine caress us all as the cycle of life continues. Nature in its adolescence and young adulthood delivers the best of its creative forces. The first batches of fruits are replaced by ones of more extreme succulence. The first flowers, having completed their dress rehearsals, are now replaced by more experienced ones with aromas and colors that are ultimately more pronounced. As nature’s adulthood completes its final maturity, Summer comes to a close.

In Fall, vibrance and youth begin to ebb as flowers and trees lose their luster. Fullness and fruitfulness are lost as the twilight of nature’s life cycle begins. It is nature’s way of describing old age. All that is vital begins to whither and the beginning of the end becomes painfully apparent.

And finally, in Winter, nature plays its final act. Trees assume their final resemblance to skeletal remains. Any leaf that has tried desperately to cling is torn away, withered and old. The ability to visualize blossoms or fruit is lost and spring-summer grass browns into a veritable astro-turf. And so nature completes its dress rehearsal with winter’s death as the final act. That is until it all begins again with the return of Spring.

As soon as we re-establish our connection to these cycles, we can resume our rightful roles in nature. It is only through our futile attempts to circumvent these cycles, that we are plunged into confusion and misunderstanding as to how we fit into it all. So many of us refuse to acknowledge that we, who are a part of nature, will eventually lose our luster, wither and then die. Oftentimes, we would like for Summer and Spring to repeat indefinitely, but alas, this is not to be.

Whatever you do, be true to yourselves and pay close attention to what is being shown to you day after day. With all of the rehearsals we are shown, we should be amply prepared to play each cycle of our live's roles with excellence.