A Reminder About Seasons
Originally published September 8, 2024
Embrace the season you're in and meet others where they are.
It's Been a Week 😅
You can say that for a lot of weeks. But this one was really a week.
One of the things that has kept me going is the change of seasons 🍂. From the last week of August to the first week of September, we usually get a "false fall" in Georgia. It's that first taste of the season before one last scorching heatwave.
Since it was such a crazy week, I decided, instead of focusing my time on creating something new, I’d slow down a bit. I did that on my back deck, enjoying the cooler weather.
While I was there, I remembered a blog post I wrote more than two years ago, when I started this blogging journey. It was a "Life Lesson" I needed to be reminded of—and maybe you do too 💡.
Most of you hadn’t joined me on this journey yet, so I wanted to share it this week. I hope you enjoy it!
Originally Posted: August 13, 2022 🗓️
This morning, I was sitting on my deck, experiencing a rare Atlanta August with low humidity. I was feeling a bit of angst because this was the first time since February I had made it to a Saturday morning with no weekly blog plan. Nothing. I was coming up blank 📝.
Then, something struck me as I sat there, dreaming of a change in the weather ☁️.
I looked at my morning emails, and a newsletter based out of the Northeast annoyed me 😒. The author wrote about how they were enjoying the final weeks of summer break before the kids went back to school. This has been a newsroom pet peeve of mine for years.
Here’s why: Organizations based in one region of the country assume everyone is experiencing what they are. But that’s not the case. I’m in the Southeast. When folks in the Northeast are focusing on “Back to School,” we’ve already been back for a month 🚌📚.
I’m not saying ignore your own seasons. But what I am saying is to acknowledge that others may not be in the same season as you. Recognize that it’s not all about your experience.
The Life Lesson 🌱
This “Life Lesson” carries over into so many parts of life.
We’ve become a society focused on our own feelings and taking care of ourselves that we forget to meet others where they are. If you know me, I’m an “all-in" person.
“You’ll hear me say things like:
✨ Be Bold! ✨ Go big or go home!”
But here’s the truth:
If I’m serving others and focusing on the top two commandments (love God and love people ❤️), the best way to serve and love people is to meet them where they are. And their season may not be the same as yours 🌦️.
That applies to:
Family 👨👩👧👦
Friends 👫
Coworkers 👩💻👨💼
Mentees and Mentors 👩🏫👨🏫
Meet People in Their Season 🌿
Listen to them. Put others first. They may need empathy, or maybe they need encouragement. Sometimes, they need to be pushed 🚀.
But you won’t know what season someone else is experiencing until you take the time to meet them where they are.
💡 Remember: Honor your calling and purpose, but don’t plow others over on your way. God’s timing for them is different than yours. His purpose for them is different than yours.
Whether you are enjoying your season or not, learn the lessons meant for you in that season. Carry out your season’s mission 🎯.
But always remember—not everyone is experiencing the same season as you.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NLT) ✨
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NLT)