There’s something about autumn that makes me pause. The air feels crisp, the days shorten, and the trees slowly begin their ritual of letting go. One by one, the leaves fall - not in panic, not in loss, but in a quiet act of trust. They release what no longer serves, knowing it makes way for rest, renewal and, eventually, growth.

It makes me think about the things we hold on to, often long past their season. Old roles we’ve outgrown. Expectations we never chose but somehow inherited. Relationships or commitments that once gave us meaning, but now only drain us.

Letting go of these isn’t easy. It can feel like failure, or even betrayal. We tell ourselves to keep pushing, to keep everything together, to be endlessly available. And yet, there’s a quiet freedom in asking: what would it look like if I simply let this go?

At this stage of life, letting go can feel particularly tender. Children may be pulling away into their own lives. Careers shift, parents age, identities we’ve worn for decades start to loosen. It’s unsettling - and yet, it’s also an opening.

Just as the trees don’t grieve their leaves, perhaps we too can see release not as loss, but as the necessary clearing that makes space for something new.

Of course, letting go doesn’t happen all at once. It’s not a single bold act, but a practice. Sometimes it’s choosing to forgive ourselves for not meeting impossible standards. Sometimes it’s stepping back from a friendship that no longer feels equal. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying “no” without apology. Small acts of release, like leaves drifting one by one, quietly reshape the whole landscape.

I’m learning that letting go isn’t about becoming less. It’s about becoming lighter. It’s trusting that when we drop what weighs us down, what remains is more authentic, more aligned, more true. And just as autumn shows us, there’s beauty in the falling - a reminder that change can be graceful, and that endings are not just endings, but exciting beginnings in disguise.

So as the season shifts, maybe it’s an invitation for us too. To ask ourselves: what is it time to let go of? What can I release so that I can meet the next chapter with more clarity and ease?

Because the art of letting go is not really about loss at all - it’s about making room for and celebrating the woman we are still becoming.