Dear Reader
If this is your first visit to The Sunny Optimist, Ideas, information, and inspiration to brighten your day, and you like my musings, please subscribe below so I can send this weekly newsletter straight to your mailbox.
Thank you.
Ann
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Greetings Sunny Optimist Buddies
I am loving that I wake up in the morning, thinking of what I could post that might brighten your day. I knew this newsletter would be good for me. I did not see the deeper dimension it would bring in how I observe and engage in my life. I so enjoy the feeling of anticipation that arises within me as ideas start to spark in my awareness.
It is my hope that you are smiling as you open this email.
A CELEBRATION OF AUTUMN
On my morning walk today, I became aware of the quality of the light and the mist dancing on the autumn coloured trees. I appreciate this time of year in Scotland so much, when the dusk comes earlier and earlier, and the temperatures begin to cool.
The poem Ode to Autumn by John Keats popped into my mind, and I grinned, even grimaced, as I remember having to memorize it at school. It offers such an evocative homage to this season of autumn. Thank you to Charles Lamb at Unsplash for this evocative photograph of the 'mists and mellow fruitfulness' that Keats describes.
THE SEASONS AS OUR TEACHER
The changing of the season reminds us to pay attention to the cycles of our life. Autumn is a time to touch into the rightness of what needs to fall away in preparation for resting during the Winter. This supports us to bring forth the new come the Spring.
The second line of the poem is ‘Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun’, and Keats is speaking about this being a transition time. Autumn is about harvesting, moving from the bountifulness of summer to gathering in that bounty to sustain us over the wintertime.
We often don’t take the time to look back over the year to see what bounty is there to celebrate and honour. It has been a challenging year for all of us, and it is easy to feel discouraged. It is important to our wellbeing to bring in perspectives that celebrate what has gone before that support us to look forward with hope.
So today, I invite you to step outside to be with nature, go for a walk and look up at the sky, notice the changing season around you and look for the bounty in your life.
Here are some questions to open the doorway to exploration.
What is maturing in your life that brings a sense of hope?
What are you reaping that gives you joy at this moment?
What beauty surrounds you that opens your heart to feel optimistic today?
As always, I would love to hear from you.
Please feel free to share The Sunny Optimist with others.
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PS. Thank you to those of you who shared your favourite music. I loved exploring how they touch into optimism.
Any favourite poems?
I too enjoy the transition of the seasons. The shift from one to the other and the changes that it brings. Recently I have been focusing on the autumnal colours of the trees. Yellows, reds, rust and occasional green. It has made me think of New England in The Fall and the way that it is described as something to see. I have been reminded that we also have such beauty on our doorstep. We are lucky to live in such a beautiful place.
Wishing you a lovely day. Reading these posts has brightened me greatly today. Music and poetry are beautiful and especially brings hope to my heart. So many more lovely things to see and hear with a more optimistic outlook. Even with rain it’s always worth it. To look for the happiest things. They are there. It is a lovely day