Two times each calendar year night and day are approximately equal in length. This ancient dance of our rotating planets encourages us to pause and enjoy the symmetry of the moment. The Autumnal equinox brings quietude, a relief from the long hot summer days, an invitation to relax and reflect on preparations for the coming season.

This year’s equinox finds us well into the second year of a particularly off – balance moment in history. Most of our everyday lives remain out of sync and disruptions continue to be caused by the pandemic, climate disasters and the ongoing work to find social-justice. Even as we seek some sort of return to ‘normal’ we feel the ground shifting and have to find new ways to work and play and support one another. In the face of so much turmoil in the world, the simplicity of the night lengthening to meet the day is reassuring. Even under duress, nature moves towards balance and observing this reminds us to do the same.

It’s been an exhausting eighteen months and there is much work ahead to restore balance to our world. On this Autumnal equinox, I invite you to pause, enjoy the day greeting the evening. I find myself recommitting to simple routines that bring me balance, an evening bike ride, stepping into my garden at lunch time to enjoy the last of the summer blooms and look for Fall color. I skip the fall garden clean up, leaving the perennial seeds and leaf litter for the birds to enjoy as the nights grow colder and take time to listen to their songs. I make sauces with the last summer tomatoes and freeze the abundant harvest of peppers to enjoy this winter. Remembering to take time to rest, finding balance between activity and stillness so that I can be strong to do the work at hand. As I work to protect the natural world, I treasure the lessons it offers, like the symmetry of this day and the relief it brings.