Last night in the United States we turned our clocks back. Tonight daylight will end early, signaling the unmistakable approach of winter.
These past few weeks, the vibrant colors of fall have mesmerized us and teased us back into a second summer. Autumn has been giving us a little encore, trying to hold on to the pizzazz of summer. But today the final curtain falls.
Do not dread the darkness. This one extra hour is a gift and a prelude of what is to come, which is not what you think. It is a time of contemplation and restoration. Let it be an invitation to make yourself a new daily practice of rest.
The gift of the extra hour of “fall back” causes me to reflect on the Dutch concept of “niksen,” which is the art of doing nothing. Listen to music. Gaze out the window. Play with all that is imaginative and find a sense of joy in that space.
Dare to be idle. Free yourself just for a moment of all your obligations. Take time each day to redefine yourself, apart from what you produce and what you accomplish. Niksen is about carving out time to just be. Let your mind wander. Meander, and find what you find. Let your imagination transport you. Move with the flow. When we niks, we allow all stress to leave our bodies.
For me, this is a luscious experience. I let my mind wander. I notice my comfortable chair, and I gaze out my window at the courtyard, remembering all the happy celebrations that have occurred there. I enjoy the stillness there now. I watch the leaves tumble from the branches. I know I can take a rest from tending to everything. As late fall arrives, I am conscious that for a spell of the year, I am free of my obligations to the garden.
THE “FALL BACK” AFFIRMATION
Rest. Wander. Niks. Be.
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