Only from the heart can you touch the sky.  ~ Rumi

I had the most remarkable and rewarding day yesterday. I spent much of the day outdoors, studying and working in the natural world.

The day was sunny and the skies were a deeper blue than usual. There were two things that I repeatedly noticed throughout the day. First, the brilliant red maple in my backyard glowed like fire — yes, really, like fire — as the sunlight flickered throughout its deep oranges and reds. The maple is at its peak in color and I was aware that its fiery beauty would be fleeting, that the forecast for the rest of the week called for cloudy skies and rain. Yesterday was my day to pay attention to the red maple.

The other frequent visitors to my day were the wild Canada geese that flew over the house, oftentimes nearly skimming the tops of the trees.

I spent my day studying first the maple, deeply rooted, grounded, preparing for winter by slowing its metabolism, getting ready to drop its leaves, but that at the present moment it was in the height of its autumn beauty. Second, I watched the wild geese, preparing not to slow down for the winter, but instead instinctively working hard, readying themselves for a long flight south.

They were quite opposite in their approach to the coming colder weather, but both were still significant reminders of autumn.

While many people regard geese as nuisances, noisy and messy, their beauty in flight always thrills me, makes me stop and admire their grace, strength, and sense of community in formation. The geese remind me of the preparation required for the undertaking of a long journey, how they show perseverance to begin their journey, to reach their goal.

Yesterday was a good day for reflection on the present and for awakening the preparer in me. Not only are the geese going south for the winter, but I am also returning south for a part of the winter.

The geese, now in a perpetual state of preparation, remind me that I, too, must finish my work here so that I can prepare for my travels.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer, owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She has much to plan and prepare for — two art shows in mid-November, followed by a few weeks of travel in the Southwest, and perhaps a bit of adventure, too.