Fall is my favorite time of the year. Dark greens give way to goldenrod. The insect’s cadence slows. The wind shifts slightly to the east and the sun fades into tolerance. Flipflops give way to boots, and nature’s reminder that our period of rest is approaching before Springtime blooms in epiphany.

The days are growing shorter at Firefly Farm. The stem-flowers aren’t quite as strong as they were. The hayfields have been cut and rolled - ready to feed the area livestock during the harsher days ahead. The cherry tomatoes burst in abundance, casting their seed for the circular season. Assuring us they’ll return, with little human influence.

Sunrise feels gentler. The once powerful presence of energy that burst into abundance is somehow cooler. The color softer. The sounds muted. The summer volume has decreased, intentionally, to allow us the opportunity to hear the tone and pitch that fell on our encumbered Summer ears. We hear Her again.

The grass is soft, and still. The soil is cold, damp, and forgiving. The moisture of growth has returned underfoot. Deep within the soil, electrical conductivity is slowing allowing the leaf litter to percolate its depths. Fall signals death and decay. A beautiful and essential period before rebirth and growth.

Fall senses burst on the scene.

Smell, sound, sight, taste, and touch all feel somehow connected, if only ephemeral, for one glorious period of the year. Hoodies. Cider. Football. Leaves.

This is a period of deep reflection for me.

Some can’t live without the ocean.

Some can’t live without the vastness of the great plains.

Some need a long-range view to maintain perspective.

Not me. I need the Fall. It fuels my soul.

I’ve written about a lot of different subjects in this newsletter. Organizational Ecology, Future of Work, Dependencies, Return to Office, Technology, Open Innovation, Sustainability, Urban Planning, and more.

Are these disparate systems? Are they related?

I see the connections, and I can’t ignore them. Our human-designed systems are all interlinked. Because of our brains, we create complex (and sometimes unnecessary) dependencies in these systems. Nothing grows forever in nature. Growth and evolution are not the same thing. Relationship to outcomes change over time. What was once necessary gives way to new purpose and meaning.

Resources are redefined. “Because we always have'“ doesn’t necessarily mean “so we always should.”

Here are my themes to reflect on during this season of change:

Leadership qualities.

Legacy systems.

Relationships.

Dependencies.

Ecology.

Patient Capital.

Resources.

Circularity.

Upward Mobility.

Attainable / Sustainable Housing.

It’s often been said that we cannot improve upon something that is not being measured. I believe we have entered into a new era of measurement. Measuring facts. Measuring impact. Measuring value. Measuring benefit. It’s far more complicated than measuring success, and it has nothing to do with money - although almost all human-created systems eventually lead us there.

If there are no units of measurement, we will create them.

If there are no words for these themes, we will assign them.

If there are no curricula for study, we will introduce them.

As the last solar term in autumn, Frost Descent is considered a transition into winter. From then on, the frost will creep across the land, and the dew will turn to ice, shielding the tender grass below our feet. The frozen period stands still and quiet.

Wool socks, fireplaces, soup, and the silence of snowfall.

Decay is where the real work happens, for the burst of rebirth is right around the corner and the composibility and persistence behind the reason for the season never ends.

Song Pairing: September Grass James Taylor. I invite you to come lie down in the September grass.

Photo by Erik Witsoe on Unsplash