Field Notes: Standing on the Threshold of Change
September 22, 2024
I woke up this morning with my usual agenda—the to-dos, the shuffling of errands—but everything paused as I sipped my coffee. These final few hours of summer, leading up to today’s autumnal equinox, are an opportunity to reflect and give thanks to summer and set my intention for the upcoming fall. I’m using this time to analyze the data gathered from my scientific inquiry inward. What a phenomenal opportunity to pause, catch where we’ve been, and consider where we’re headed!
This is personal evolution.
The Sun’s rays are shining directly onto the equator. This moment of balance—equal light and darkness—marks a turning point, a fleeting glimpse of balance, just before our days begin to shorten and nights will grow longer.
As a seasoned science teacher, I can’t help but think in systems—how life operates on the micro and macro levels, interconnected and powered by energy that flows at the microscopic level to the cosmos. We are all just passengers, moving through our brief existence. All while Earth journeys around our Sun, one singular star among millions spiraling around the center of the Milky Way - we’re mere specks of stardust in this galaxy—sitting on the sobering truth that Earth’s journey will outlast us. This realization has led me to question everything - driving my inquiry deeper along my path of personal evolution.
We can choose to work with the energy of a new season. We can create new rituals, embrace new patterns, and evolve with it—even if we don’t feel ready. This is personal evolution. This is how I’ve come to accept the science of change.
Ready or not, here I come.
Life moves forward, whether we’re prepared or not. Lately, I’ve faced my fear of this truth. It’s like trying to hold onto grains of sand slipping through an hourglass—moments passing by, time moving without me fully in it, fearful of missing out, fearful of not being present.
But we can escape the inertia of distractions, the robbers of time, and old ways of being by simply moving forward—ready or not. One small decision, a shift in action, can build powerful momentum, propelling us toward a more authentic way of living. Earth will continue to orbit, time will keep ticking, whether we’re ready or not. I used to let this truth scare me, letting it rob me of moments by living out of alignment, out of fear, stuck in old, conditioned ways. I was trapped in survival mode. Now I know that moving forward, aligned and ready or not, leads to new opportunities, new learning, new relationships, and deeper connections.
Looking Back: Summer Reflections
This summer was filled with travel, reconnections with family, and settling back into the familiar rhythms of August, knowing that September’s busy schedule was lurking around the corner. Another school year, more birthdays, the holidays are approaching, another year passing by.
Summer’s long days of sunlight woke up my drive to understand how to savor time, how to use it well. I began by decluttering—both physically and mentally. I couldn’t take certain things with me into this next season, starting with the physical clutter around me. Once a distraction, my desk had to be cleared to allow focus. Over the years, I had let fear of stagnation—of not moving, not living fully—lead to the buildup of clutter in my space and in my mind. Old habits and behaviors from past seasons needed to be shed. Nothing is exempt from change.
This summer, I faced my fear of not being present. I still feel it, but by choosing to be here, in the moment, now, as I use my time at 7:41am pause, reflect and now direct my attention on setting my intention for the upcoming season, I know I’ve evolved. I’ve stopped letting time slip away. I’ve experimented with sitting in discomfort, letting go of overworking, over-pleasing, and overthinking—the habits that kept me stuck in a loop of just “getting through.” Now, instead of soothing myself with distractions, I’m embracing the freedom to explore.
We can break the inertia of old habits by pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones, ready or not.
Looking Ahead: Crossing the Threshold
Today, I have these few hours to pause. One foot is still in summer, the other about to step into fall. This seasonal shift is a chance to transform—to embrace new patterns and align with our authentic path. We may never feel “ready,” but in the act of moving forward, we evolve.
As the observer of my own life—the scientist of self—I have the opportunity to adjust my experimental design. I gather data from past seasons, testing what works, what doesn’t, and searching for patterns. What’s trending in my life? What needs to stay, and what can I let go of? If something brings joy, expands my energy, and uplifts me, it stays. The insights I gain from testing new ways of being will guide how I step into the next season.
Nature’s resilience to change is a model to follow—temperature shifts, daylight changes, and living organisms adjust. We can, too.
As I cross this threshold into the next season, I do so with less clutter, both physically and mentally. My intention is to harvest and establish new ways of being. Less clutter frees up the space for opening myself to experiment and play with new ideas, patterns, and experiences that will allow for growth and expansion.
As the scientist in your lab of life, how will you inquire within to invite alignment and transformation as you step into this new season? What patterns or habits are you ready to shed?
