New seasons, new perspectives, new perceptions

So here I am again at peripheralperceptions.wordpress.com. And if you’re reading this, you’ve successfully found me! All in all it was a smooth transition. The accessories aren’t exactly where I want them yet, but all the furniture was successfully relocated…except the spam comments….didn’t pack up and move the spam comments. I’m sure the spambots will find me again soon. Until then, the other site can serve as a decoy. 🙂

 
Texture by Kim Klassen: Magic 0916

Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Fall. 
~F. Scott Fitzgerald, THE GREAT GATSBY

Today, September 23rd, is the Autumnal Equinox in these parts. Beginning late yesterday, the sun began crossing the equator, and the northern hemisphere begins preparing for shorter, cooler days before our leaves explode with color. Depending on which farmer’s almanac you consult, the winter could be another dandy in the Midwest.

So as the season prepares to start over, I suppose it’s fitting to start over with my blog on the first full day of the Autumn…my favorite season.

Starting over. The words carry a variety of impressions and feelings.

The most common impression is that we start over when we’ve experienced failure at something we’ve attempted. Maybe it’s the death of a dream. Maybe, we’ve screwed up, realize we’re going in the wrong direction and need to stop and revise our attitude or behaviors. But one thing is certain…it’s never to late to begin again. It’s never too late to right a wrong. It’s never too late to change.

Souls reconstructed with faith transform agony into peace. 
~Aberjhani, The River of Winged Dreams

We also start over when we’ve finished an accomplishment and are ready to move on to something else…something more challenging. Been there, done that is the motto we use when we’re ready to begin a new chapter in our lives.  But turning a page in our book doesn’t mean we forget everything we’ve read. Any new endeavor needs to be approached using all the knowledge we’ve learned from the past. We can build on our past accomplishments….and, yes, even our failures….and make our present and future a better place for ourselves and those we love. We can never erase our past. But, there is no success in life if we can’t or won’t learn from our mistakes and use them as a guide for how to approach the future.

It’s humbling to start fresh. It takes a lot of courage. But it can be reinvigorating.
You just have to put your ego on a shelf and tell it to be quiet. 
~Jennifer Ritchie Payette

 A balanced life isn’t to do as we please, but to learn to do what is right.
A person that is truly free in life doesn’t try to balance the good and evil inside him.
He fearlessly fights the war between his heart and mind, by choosing
one path of standards to live by that will end suffering for himself and others.” 
~Shannon L. Alder

Whatever the reason, starting over begins when we contemplate where we are in life and where we want to be. It requires us to look back and make decisions on what we should keep and we need to ditch in order to fully enjoy life. Deciding what to keep is usually pretty darn easy. But realizing what to ditch is sometimes a little harder and about an enjoyable as a root canal. Sometimes we want to hang on to things that are not beneficial to our well-being; things that keep us from reaching our full potential; things that…while we cling to them because they’re part of our comfort zone….don’t stretch our abilities or allow us to grow.

Forget the former things and o not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
~Isaiah 43:18-19

Starting over…new beginnings…an exercise in futility if there isn’t a plan or guide to follow.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
~Jeremiah 29:11 

So Happy Autumnal Equinox! A new season with the promise of new beginnings and possibilities.

What will you accomplish?

Linking up with Texture Twist, Texture Tuesday and Life Through the Lens