Chasing Down the Muse: Changes and challenges mark our lives

“Here as we move into the shadows of autumn ...” — Autumn Equinox Ritual

Ah, September! Always a time of change. This September seems especially full of adjustments.

“Inside every challenge is a change.” On a recent September morning walk, the words seen on a T-shirt grabbed my attention. They rumbled around in my mind. These words and their opposite, that with every change comes challenge, seemed equally true.

When we accept the challenges of life, of course some change will occur, whether in us or to events outside of us. Conversely, when change occurs in us or our lives, challenges often accompany that change.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the challenge has been to think of September in any terms other than those wrought on that day. The sound of bagpipes as I walked through Heisler Park on the anniversary date mournfully reminded me of the many changes then and since. Does this set the tone for all our Septembers? I hope not.

Life has moved on and continues. Here in Laguna, summer’s festivals are now only a memory. The trolleys continue on our busy weekends, but now the weekdays have changed. The challenges of summertime crowding in Laguna, no matter how we were able to accommodate and change for them, are past. We breathe a sigh of relief.

Still, September brings new challenges, both personal and communitywide. The heat has been a tremendous challenge, especially in what is already yet another drought year. Some of the changes this has required are more difficult to deal with than others.

But if nothing else, we humans are adaptable. We do what we must. Walk earlier, do laundry later, water less, sit in a bucket of ice — whatever it takes, we find ways to handle the challenges as they come.

It seems many of us have lost family or friends recently. The challenges accompanying loss seem at times insurmountable — and yet the changes are reluctantly accommodated and we learn new ways to go on.

In Los Angeles, the heat was especially brutal at a recent funeral of a very special lady, Jodi Nathanson. At Jodi’s graveside, the perspiration was glistening on foreheads and people were swaying in the heat. The rabbi paused and reminded us all that while we were honoring Jodi, we must also care for the living and get out of the sun if necessary. Challenge and change.

As the month moves on through the challenges and the changes, so do we. Hopefully, we move through with grace and acceptance and enjoy the “shadows of autumn.” And, always, in the lyrics of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, “Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and oh so mellow.”

Cherril Doty is an artist, writer, and teacher who embraces the mystery and magic of all that is life. You can reach her at (714) 745-9973 or by email at cherril@cherrildoty.com.