I borrowed the title from a podcast by Dan Negru, who explains very nicely why tree leaves turn yellow and then fall. One of the first signs of getting ready for winter is changing leaves. As the days get shorter, trees stop producing chlorophyll – the green pigment that makes photosynthesis possible. Instead of ‘wasting’, they extract essential nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) and send them to the stem and roots for storage.
Dan Negru called this stage of nature “Winter Spring“. How beautiful!
It reminded me that just as nature prepares for winter, so do animals and humans, and it’s part of a strategy that’s been well thought out for thousands of years.
In animals, preparation takes many forms. Squirrels gather provisions, hedgehogs go into hibernation, drastically reducing their metabolic rate. Migratory birds move to warmer areas, guided by light and instinct. Brown bears don’t hibernate completely, but enter an energy-conserving torpor. Wolves, deer and many other animals shed their fur in preparation for the cold.
What about the man?
We don’t live in caves anymore, but there are still reflexes in our biology that are activated by the cold season, some conscious, some automatic:
- The craving for high-calorie foods increases. We tend to eat more fat and carbohydrates, not just out of habit, but as a biological response.
- The body reduces blood flow to the extremities to conserve heat.
- Reduced exposure to light affects vitamin D synthesis. The immune system becomes more strained.
- Lack of light influences circadian rhythms. We feel more tired, slower. But it’s not laziness in the true sense of the word, it’s adaptation.
- We dress thicker, stay indoors longer, prepare provisions. It’s instinct, but it’s also culture.
- For some, this period also brings feelings of melancholy or even seasonal affective disorder.
I believe that autumn offers us a valuable lesson: nature does not give up, but reorganizes itself, regulates its resources. A wise retreat.
We can learn a lot from the way nature finds its rhythm. We need, from time to time, to slow down, to gather, to reflect. Let go of the extra. Conserve our energy for what really matters.
Just as spring brings life, fall brings clarity. It teaches us to embrace change and make it our strategy for the next stage. It is the season when we learn that stillness is not the absence of action, but the foundation on which the next leap is built.
I wish you a fall of introspection and clarity.
Claudiu
