Autumn Leaves

Renuka & Shivani, two best friends & final year students were taking a walk in their college campus. While, walking by the trees of the college campus, they noticed how the old dry leaves had fallen on the ground, making place for the new leaves to grow on the trees.

Noticing those leaves, Renuka looked at Shivani and said, "How beautifully the autumn leaves fall and fill up the street. Even though, it's their time of departure to make place for the fresh new leaves....still they do it so gracefully. By observing nature closely, we can learn so many things. These autumn leaves show us that departure can be beautiful."

Listening to her words, Shivani replied, "Yes! Also, autumn teaches us that everything is transient in nature. No matter how hard we try to hold onto things or people, when it's their time to go... they go...just like these leaves, which were once strongly attached to the branches of tree, but when autumn came.. these leaves fell on the ground, despite their strong attachment to the branches. It's similar to, no matter how strong a friendship or relationship have been over the years... when a bond breaks, it's time to let go of the bond, without trying to hold on. Because, that's the rule of nature... impermanence is the only permanent thing."

Hearing this, Renuka said, "Yes, that's true! Also, autumn reminds me of another thing : transition. Just the way, autumn is a transition from summer to winter, I feel that, my college life is a transition from who I used to be and who I am today. Looking back at my very first year in college... I used to have a very simple view towards life, unaware of the complexities of people, relationships, hardships. But, as a final year student, with hardly six months left in the college campus...my perspective towards life, things, people changed a lot. And, as my perspective towards life changed... throughout these college years, I transitioned to a whole new person from who I used to be when I first came in this college. I feel as the trees shed off their old leaves, I have shed off my old version to make space for my new version ".

To this Shivani replied, "Yes, with every new event and turning points of life, we discover a new version of ourselves. That's how life works. Just like we experience autumnn differently in different phases of our life, in the same way, we have different versions of ourselves for different phases of life: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, middle age & old age. But, just as autumn gracefully makes transition, we need to gracefully step from one phase of life to another". Saying this, she looked at Renuka. Both of them exchanged a contented smile and rushed towards their hostel room as the evening approached.