The Storm Before the Calm

G R E E T I N G S

Good morning Subscriber First Name,

These past couple of weeks, I’ve been living inside of my mind more than usual. When that happens, my tendency can be to think that I “should” have a quiet mind, and therefore that the anxious mind doesn’t belong. But I also believe that there is a season for everything. Just as spring isn’t a season of stillness—birds building nests, flowers blossoming, and grass growing—fall is a season of preparation. Like the little red squirrel in our neighborhood, I’m scrambling around, making preparations for winter: getting the last of our firewood, bringing Dory’s toys inside so they don’t get buried under the snow all winter, and cleaning the closet to make room for jackets and boots.

And so maybe it’s natural that my mind would not be at ease. Maybe fall is the storm before the calm, and these preparations of the mind are necessary to invite the stillness of the season to come.

These days, I’m grateful for color returning to the landscape after a dry summer, for the crunch of leaves under boots, and for last fall hikes before the snow.

In the Happenings section, I’m excited to share more fall reflections: on migration, on showing up for the earth, and a fun fact on fall phenology.

Thanks for being here!

With gratitude,

P R O M P T

What does a season of preparation mean to you? Where can you release expectation around the state of your mind and know that whatever you are feeling belongs? What are you grateful for in this moment?

I N T E N T I O N S + A F F I R M A T I O N S

May I release expectation.
May I trust that I am right where I need to be.
This belongs.

MORE INTENTIONS + AFFIRMATIONS

Fall colors on a recent hike in Bozeman.

H A P P E N I N G S

F E A T U R E

CREATURES OF CONNECTION

An article I wrote for the Montana Natural History Center on wildlife migration was just featured in the Fall/Winter Issue of Montana Naturalist. “If the coronavirus pandemic has taught me anything, it has taught me that we, too, are creatures of connection. Maybe it’s our own nomadic past still etched in our bones that draws us to migration routes, a connection to old pathways, collective history, heritage, and wildness...” Read the full article on page four here.

R E F L E C T I O N S

SHOWING UP FOR THE EARTH

On the blog recently, I reflected on how a recent interview with the writer Ocean Vuong inspired me to think about how we can show up for the earth in this moment. Read more here.

C U R I O S I T I E S

DID YOU KNOW?

October is the time of year when short- and long-tailed weasels molt into their white coats for winter. Discover more fun facts about phenology on page 14 of the Fall/Winter Issue of Montana Naturalist here. Photo of long-tailed weasel by Matt Ludin / Yellowstone Forever.

U P C O M I N G

WONDER WALKS

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