Here we are at the changing of the seasons yet again. Life is full of change. Every day. Sometimes we are not ready for the changes that come and sometimes we find ourselves challenged to accept what life brings.

Last week, three friends said goodbye to their beloved pets, and I too experienced the death of my 13-year-old kitty, whom we had cared for since he was a day old. None of us was ready for the final farewells we were forced to say and each of us wished it could be otherwise.

A woman I barely know apologized for the tears in her eyes when I said hello to her. She self-consciously shared that the previous day she had been on a hike and came across a person in cardiac arrest on the trail. She performed CPR for what must have felt like hours — to no avail — and then tried to return to her two-week vacation visiting Oregon from another state. I could see that this change in her day affected her deeply and maybe permanently. I’m sure she too wished her afternoon could have been otherwise.

This week, two friends told me they are pregnant; one due in January and one in May.

The seasons are a constant reminder that life is made of cycles and that birth and death are among them. Just as surely as autumn follows summer, and winter waits in the wings, we have learned to live within the circle of seasons –— whether we like it or not. I’m one of those folks who wishes the summer weather would last 10 months out of the year instead of three. But I must admit that when those first flakes fall from the sky, there’s a joy inside me that delights in the magic of crystals descending from the heavens and creating a blanket of white seamlessly woven over everything. Even the falling leaves and pine needles remind me that someone else is in charge.

I know this time of year is burdensome for many people, myself included. Once a fan of all things holiday, that time of year no longer resonates much with my sensibilities. I find myself irritated by the push of merchandisers moving the celebrations and festivals forward for their own financial gains. I don’t like to see Christmas cards for sale when I’m still wearing flip-flops and shorts. The Earth has cycles of her own and as residents of the big blue marble, we must learn to respect and accept the seasons of the year and the seasons of life.

So while my heart is breaking for the loss I and my friends have suffered this week, there is a part of me that remembers I have endured this before and I will endure it again. For if we live long enough as humans, we will for certain experience the many summers and winters of life, liking them or disliking them as we go, but surrendering to them nonetheless. For each day that we are granted, by the Grand Snowmaker of the universe, we can choose to find the good or not.

— Sana Hayes is a free spirit, as comfortable in a tiara as she is in pajamas. She writes to better encounter the radiant self in each of us. Contact her at cowgirlsana@gmail.com.