The Calm Before The Change

The lake stretches endlessly toward the horizon, glittering under the hazy sun that casts a glossy glow across its surface.

Endless Horizons, Endless Change
As we approach, the wind grows stronger, whipping around us, and the frothy, white-capped waves crash onto the shore. The force of the waves is deceiving, making it feel like we’re standing at the ocean. It’s unseasonably warm, and the swirling wind hints at an approaching change. Not a cloud in the sky, the sun’s rays stretch across the blue expanse. It’s mesmerizing. I snap a photo, wanting to remember this moment.

A Deceptive Calm
The sun’s intensity creates a glassy sheen on the water’s surface—a strange irony, making it look frozen, though it’s wild and alive. Looking back at the photo, it feels deceptive. It captures a peaceful, sun-soaked day, yet there’s a fury building, ready to stir and change everything around us.

The Duality of Nature: Beauty and Fury
The contrast between beauty and anger leaves me unsettled, wondering what’s coming next.

Breathing Easier in the Crisp Air

The crisp air is both inviting and refreshing—I can breathe easier, feel more, without that suffocating heaviness. I welcome these fall days, even knowing the bitter cold is on its way. There's something about the clarity in the air, a coolness that cuts right through to my core. The thick, humid air that came before clung to the skin, wrapping around it like a damp blanket, clouding the mind and dragging your focus elsewhere. But this shift, this cool change, is a relief. It lets me breathe, lets me just be here, in this moment.

The Weight of Change: A New Season, A New Chapter
Being present, though, isn’t as simple as it sounds. I feel unsteady, unmoored in this new chapter where so much depends on me—both in my career and my personal life. I’m not quite sure where I’m steering this yet. Part of me wants to look ahead, but anxiety swirls, much like the humid air did, clouding my thoughts.

Navigating Uncertainty: Career and Life at a Crossroads
I wake up at night, my head pounding, replaying moments from the past few weeks, wondering if I made the right calls. I question how others perceive me, how they'll respond. I’m stuck in this cycle of second-guessing, unable to let go of what I can't change. But I know I have to. I have to release the weight of other people's opinions and focus on my own voice. I need to speak my truth, fearlessly.

Letting Go of the Past: Finding My Voice
Change is here, deep in my bones. I feel the cool breeze wrap around me as leaves float and fall through the air. A small yellow leaf lands on my keyboard—golden and fingernail-sized, its corner missing, torn away by the wind or perhaps brittle from time. It feels like a sign. A reminder to surrender to this change, imperfections and all. To let things unfold as they will.

A Sign in the Leaves: Embracing Imperfection
The suffocating weight has lifted. I can finally breathe again, fully, with all my senses—and that's something I won't let go of.

Morning Symphony: A Dance of Sound and Silence

The Chorus Begins: Nature's Melody and the Blue Jay's Call

A bird chirps softly in the nearby tree, its delicate song almost lost in the raucous cackle of a squawking blue jay perched above. The humming of crickets drifts in and out, never holding the same rhythm for long. There's a kind of comfort in the unpredictability of it, a reminder that not everything needs to make sense to be beautiful. Piercing through the noise, a quieter, higher-pitched chirp manages to reach me. Over and over, a crow caws in the distance, but still, those endearing little chirps linger. I smile, imagining a bird stubbornly refusing to be drowned out.

Urban Interference: The Battle Between Nature and Noise

And then, the inevitable – the freeway hum. It creeps in, louder and louder, intruding on this tiny moment of peace. How often do we miss these moments because we’re so used to the noise? Yet somehow, the birds keep chirping, maybe in conversation with each other. Are they just as aware of us as we are of them? A light breeze stirs the porch curtains, cool but damp, like the air before a storm. The chirps seem closer now, surrounding me as the breeze picks up, rattling the leaves overhead. I close my eyes for a second and just breathe it in.

Winds of Change: Gathering Clouds and Nature’s Response

Dark, patchy clouds begin to gather, casting shadows that stretch across the yard. They move slowly, almost imperceptibly, like they have all the time in the world—because they do. We’re the ones always rushing. The birds don’t care. Their repetitive, sweet chirps rise and fall, providing a soundtrack to the shifting sky. The first drop of rain hits my hand, and I find myself hoping the storm lasts longer than it probably will.

The Rhythm of the Morning: Light Breaking Through

The trees sway gently as the clouds begin to part. Just beyond the break, a flash of pink and orange peeks out, the sun stretching after a long night. But as quickly as I see it, it’s gone, swallowed up by the trees. The birds are quieter now, their distant songs mingling with the faint sound of a creature I can’t see. There’s something comforting about it—the way the world keeps going, even when we’re not watching.

Fading Notes: The Scents and Sounds of Dawn

The air smells damp, a mix of wet grass and leaves. That familiar, squeaky bird call rises again, cutting through the hum of crickets and distant freeway noise. The sky lightens, not in some grand, dramatic shift but slowly, almost like it’s giving us time to catch up. I wonder how many mornings I’ve missed like this, too distracted by my to-do list or my phone.

A New Day’s Whisper: The Awakening Breeze and Arrival of Light

The breeze that follows is gentle but brisk, rustling the trees and sending a shiver down my arms. I wrap my sweater tighter and let the coolness settle on my skin. There’s something pure about mornings like this—before the world fully wakes up, before we start filling the day with all our noise. I hold on to this moment a little longer, knowing how quickly it will pass.