At this time of year
I think about new beginnings
and fresh starts.
Kids go back to school
and start new classes.
It is the beginning of a new season
and also the start of the Jewish new year.
Often there is excitement in the air.
And if you live outside of Florida or the south,
it even begins to turn crisp!
While these new opportunities can be invigorating,
we can also experience trepidation, fear or anxiety
about the unknown.
It can feel like the first day of school
when we go to a new meeting or networking event,
move to a new place or start a new role or project.
When we remind ourselves that we have had
many new starts during our lifetime
and the feeling is normal,
we can reduce the butterflies in our stomach.
When we look at life as an experiment and
are open to the magic that may occur,
we can shift our perspective.
The poet Joel Elkes said,
“You are the laboratory
and every day is an experiment.
Go and find what is new and unexpected.”
In this season of restarts,
try opening up to newness.
For just as the leaves turn,
so may your perspective.