Everything Happens For a SEASON.

I’m a huge fan of nature. If you could look at my phone’s camera roll, you would probably find 50% pictures of my dog and 50% of the sky, the trees, or the clouds.

Looking at the sky or being outside somehow makes me feel small. Not in a bad way, because it makes me realize there are so many more things out there. I feel small compared to my problems, thoughts, or other situations. I feel small compared to the hugeness of the universe. It reminds me that anything can change.

You see, sometimes we get so caught up in “our world” that we forget that the best teacher we have is nature.

If you stop and think about it for a second, every season has its colors, flowers, leaves, and weather. Every season has its own package, as I like to call it. It comes packed with different things that we didn’t see coming, with experiences and moments that are meant to prepare us for the next season.

You won’t feel the same in the middle of a hot day in July as in a snowstorm in January, right? So why do we try to “control the weather” sometimes? We try to control how an interview will go, how the business will do, the people we’re going to meet, and sometimes even how we feel.

Life becomes more beautiful when we let it be. When we enjoy the beach days, the messy hair, and the saltiness in the air. When we don’t try to change it into a cozy afternoon on a cold November day. It becomes more beautiful when we accept each season with whatever it’s in the package.

Because you want to know the funny thing about seasons? They change. We know that after the summer, fall and winter will come. And if you think about it, it’s the same way with life.

Embrace the season you’re in today. Whether it's waiting for something, letting go, or trying new things, it could be the season for receiving, accepting, planning, or sharing.

The thing is, they’re all perfect the way they are. There are always things to enjoy and appreciate in all of them. They all happen for a reason. And, a season.

Looking back in time, you’ll see all the dots connected because of that. You learned that you had to wait for something to become what it is right now.

You see how applying for that job made you move and meet different people. Not getting what you wanted showed you the path to what you needed.

I believe that “life is 90% what happens to you and 10% how you react to it”.

There are going to be things and situations that we’re going to want to change. But remember, you can’t rush the season you’re in. Give it time. Embrace it, accept it. You’ll look back and understand why it had to happen.

Working in hospitality has had a funny way of showing me how these things matter and how life works the same way that nature does.

You meet people when and where you least expect it, and they all have a special place and reason to be in your life. Most of them become your family.

Starting a job that maybe you weren’t sure about at first and then realizing it taught you exactly what you needed for your next one.

I could list all the things that didn’t go my way and ended up being the best moments of my life. And that’s because if we learn to appreciate and be grateful for every season, getting to where we want becomes magical.

So whether you’re reading a book at the beach on a summer day or reading that same book on a snowy morning, enjoy it. Take a look around. Soak it in.

Embrace the season you’re in. You’ll be surprised by what the next one brings.