Beautiful Spaces: Walking Through Seasons of Change

Tomorrow I’ll announce some changes (good!) coming to the blog.  Until then, it’s clear that change is in the air - both positive and negative.  America has experienced turbulence in a way we hadn’t anticipated after the election.  People are scared, but at the same time feel called to action.  Change isn’t limited to our experiences at home - all around the world, people are standing up and taking steps to change their lives and the lives of others.  Each second is impermanent.  Seasons shift, and we go along with them.

Remember that change is also beautiful, and that each cloud has a silver lining.  I was reminded of this while strolling through the North Loop yesterday afternoon, right after a rainstorm ended.  The rays of the distant setting sun shone against the neighborhood’s buildings, illuminating them while dark clouds loomed overhead.  The gray-blues and luminescent yellow hues are easier to capture in photo editing than in real life, but here they were, on the city street for a few brief minutes before night fell.  

Yesterday’s weather provided one last temperate day before the cold comes in from the west.  The changing of the seasons felt ominous when sheets of rain pelted my neighborhood in the morning.  They were only temporary, and lifted as soon as they began.  I became thankful for the storm after roaming the streets.  Among these buildings I felt at home as I watched the rhythms of the city slow down so people could see how it shines in these rare moments.

The storm marked the end of fall, and the ushering in of winter.  Looking at the weather on my iPhone, I’m anticipating snow soon.  The shifting of the seasons is a beautiful change, though, allowing us to see the world through new eyes, making the ordinary extraordinary and reminding us that embracing change means going with the flow of life, rather than staying stagnant.