The Space Between Seasons: Finding a Pause in Late Summer
blog by Pause & Breathe co-founder Susie Hooper
A group of people swimming in the Lake of Menteith under moody skies
There is something particular about late summer. Summer is still here. There are warm days to be enjoyed, gardens are still full of colour, and there is plenty of light in the evenings. Yet, if we pause for a moment, there are small signs that something is beginning to shift.
The mornings can feel a little different. The light changes. Some flowers are beginning to fade while others are still blooming. The first leaves may be turning. Holidays come to an end and familiar routines begin to return. We find ourselves somewhere between what has been and what is coming next.
Perhaps there is something worth noticing in this space between seasons.
When One Season Begins to Change Into Another
A collection of wildflowers on the canal-path in Bonnybridge
We often think of change as something that happens at a particular moment. One season ends and another begins. One chapter closes and another opens. We move house, start a new job, return to work, begin a relationship, leave one behind, make a decision and move forward.
But much of life doesn't work like that. There are often stretches of time when we are somewhere in the middle. We know that something is changing, but we haven't quite arrived at whatever comes next.
The space between can sometimes feel uncomfortable. There can be a temptation to hurry through it, to make decisions, fill the space, establish a new routine or work out what happens next. We can feel that we should be moving forward, even when we aren't quite ready.
But perhaps the in-between deserves some attention too.
A group of women walking on a grassy pathway at our Summer Solstice Retreat
There is Value in Pausing
Late summer offers a beautiful reminder of this. There is no need for summer to suddenly disappear simply because autumn is approaching. We can continue to enjoy what is here while also noticing that things are changing. We don't have to choose between holding onto one season and preparing for the next. There can be room for both.
The same can be true in our own lives.
Sometimes we are changing before we have the words to explain how. Sometimes an old way of being no longer feels quite right, but we don't yet know what will take its place. Sometimes we need a period of simply noticing before we decide what comes next.
There can be wisdom in allowing that space.
Rather than asking, What do I need to do next?, perhaps we can sometimes ask, What is happening here?
What is changing? What is staying the same? What has been nourishing? What has become tiring? Is there anything from this season that is worth carrying forward? Is there anything that can be left behind?
These don't need immediate answers.
Making Space for Reflection
Sunset over Lake of Menteith
There is something about slowing down and paying attention that allows us to hear things that can easily be missed when life is moving quickly.
We might notice what the body has been telling us. We might recognise that something needs more space, or less space. We might realise that something we thought we needed has stopped feeling important. We might simply discover that we are more tired than we realised.
This doesn't have to become another exercise in self-improvement. There is no need to use this moment to reinvent life or prepare for a more productive autumn.
Perhaps it is enough to notice where we are.
To enjoy the last of the summer. To pay attention to the changing light. To spend time outside when we can. To allow routines to return at their own pace. To make a little room for self-reflection without demanding an answer.
We don't have to rush towards what comes next
There is a quiet beauty in being between things. We don't always have to know exactly where we are going. Sometimes we can simply stand at the threshold for a while, appreciating what has been and allowing what comes next to reveal itself in its own time.
As summer begins its gradual turning towards autumn, perhaps this is an invitation to pause in the middle.
To notice this particular season of life.
To ask what is here, what is changing, and what might be worth carrying with us.
And then, when the time comes, to take the next step.
Sunset over Montefrio in Spain
This blog was written by Susie Hooper - one of the founders of Pause & Breathe, and our CEO. She loves leaning into the seasons, enjoying the fact that they all offer something a little different. Late Summer feels like a good addition to our traditional four seasons - as the transition between summer and autumn can feel particularly stark.