It’s funny how something as simple as watching leaves fall can make you think about life. Lately, I’ve been doing that a lot thinking, feeling, learning. Moving halfway across the world has been a whirlwind: new faces, streets, smells, and routines. It’s been both exciting and terrifying. Some moments I feel exactly where I’m meant to be; others, completely out of place.
Finding belonging hasn’t been easy. Maybe it never is when you leave behind everything familiar. Sometimes I wonder how long it’ll take a month, six months, a year. But I’ve learned that belonging isn’t something that just happens; it grows slowly, quietly, like roots under soil.
Amid all this change, I’ve found unexpected comfort in the trees. Watching them shed leaves feels grounding. It made me realize how much we’re like them. There are seasons when we have to let go of old habits, fears, even parts of ourselves we thought we couldn’t live without. Just as trees lose their leaves, we strip away layers that once defined us.
When winter comes, trees stand bare against the cold. Starting over somewhere new feels like that exposed. You don’t fully recognize yourself, and neither does anyone else. It’s uncomfortable, sometimes lonely, but maybe that’s what growth looks like: being patient through quiet seasons when nothing seems to be happening.
Then spring arrives, and slowly, new buds appear. You discover new sides of yourself interests, strengths. You connect with people, build small routines, and one day realize you’ve begun to bloom again. You’re still you, but a new version, reshaped by that rough winter.
Summer follows, and life feels full. The days are warm and bright; you laugh more easily, walk with more confidence, and see beauty where you are.
But inevitably, fall returns. Change comes again, sometimes unexpectedly. This time it feels different. You understand that it’s okay to let go that endings are just the start of new beginnings. You stand stronger than you were.
Maybe the biggest lesson is that life moves in cycles, just like nature. We grow, shed, and renew at our own pace. Trees don’t rush their seasons, and neither should we. Nature has always reminded us that it’s okay to fall apart sometimes, because that’s how we make room to grow again.
