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“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ~Plato

I enjoy the fall season, the leaves changing color, the cooler (but not cold) temperatures, the back-to-school/work mindset.

What I don’t enjoy is the loss of light as the sun rises later and sets earlier each day.

Loss of light: the harbinger of winter.

But winter is necessary, I tell myself every year, and prepares the earth for new growth in the spring. Fields need to replenish—winter provides rest.

I’m telling myself the same thing about the pandemic, and the economy, and the looming U.S. elections.

I’m telling myself that the world is in the midst of winter right now, with dark nights and cold winds and snowstorms.

I’m telling myself that the world’s current loss of light—of truth and trust and unity—heralds an impending spring.

Because there can be no spring without winter.

There can be no evolution without discomfort.

And we—the world and its inhabitants—are evolving.

The question is: towards what?

I hope it’s light and love and truth. And the promise of brighter days ahead.

Because for there to be no spring after a brutal winter would be a cruel joke.

And I don’t believe in a capricious universe.