Soul Food with Pia Richardson: Accepting the seasons of life and that nothing lasts forever

This time of year it never ceases to amaze me that no matter how long and hot the summer, after those first rains it never takes long for those first shoots to start popping up. Within just a few short weeks there are carpets of lush green covering as far as the eye can see — and so it is with life itself. When we approach hard times, much like those long, hot summers, we begin to wonder if it’s ever going to rain again and the period of discomfort seems to drag on forever with no end in sight. Unlike those summers where we know that autumn will eventually come and things will begin to cool down, in our personal lives we find it difficult to accept that things might ever change, and even though we’ve been through many a dry season we always seem to fall back into believing that this will be the last — either because we feel that it might never end or because we blankly refuse to accept that seasonal change is simply a part of life. We often move through the seasons of our life thinking each one is here to stay when in actual fact life is in constant motion. And I don’t just speak to the hard times, this is also about the good. I don’t recommend going around always expecting things to turn sour, but there is certainly wisdom to be found in the adage “make hay while the sun shines”, and when things aren’t going so well, it helps to just hold on to the knowledge that nothing lasts forever. That just as sure as summer turns to autumn so things will change for you too. And sure enough eventually the rain comes and faster than you can blink there is new life bursting forth, bringing a fresh new perspective. In the meantime all you can do is prepare for the worst, hope for the best and above all else, be kind to yourself. Pia Richardson is the co-owner of Railway Health Hub, managing director of Crossroads Life and runs Soul Food Cafe. She is a life coach and hypnotherapist with a passion for community wellbeing.