Let It Fall 🍂
When I walk my son to school in the fall, I pass a beautiful tree that transforms from green to yellow to orange to red before my very eyes over a few short weeks. I’d always thought of it as the tree losing its leaves. It turns out those colors signal something far more deliberate.
Deciduous trees don’t simply lose their leaves in autumn; they actively cut them off. Before winter arrives, a tree pulls valuable nutrients back from its leaves, then forms a layer of cells at the base of each leaf stem that gradually separates the leaf from the branch. Eventually, the leaf falls, leaving a protective seal behind. It’s an intentional act of subtraction to survive the hard season.
Trees shed strategically, just as hummingbirds use torpor to rest strategically. Neither waits for winter to force its hand. They prepare for it.
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Resilience isn’t always about adding more grit. Sometimes it’s about deciding what to drop, whether that’s a volunteer commitment, a weekly meeting you attend out of habit but get little from, or a perfectionist standard that stopped serving you long ago. The key, like the tree, is to take what’s valuable with you before you let it go.
I learned this lesson a few years ago, when I had to let go of something I loved. I’d stumbled across a wonderful Toastmasters group that helps people from all walks of life hone their public speaking skills, including those navigating neurological or speech differences. Although I didn’t share those particular challenges, I was overwhelmed by the support these extraordinary people offered one another. I took part for several years but eventually reached a point where I simply couldn’t sustain the commitment alongside my other professional, family, and volunteer responsibilities.
Stepping back was a difficult decision. Before I did, I took time to appreciate what had kept me there so long: their commitment to telling inspiring, courageous stories, and the responsibility we all have to allow space to listen. It helped me realize that being brave enough to step onto the stage and tell your story is an extremely powerful act of service to others who may be navigating similar challenges. And in a world of ever-decreasing attention spans, taking the time to give someone your undivided attention is truly a gift.
If there were twice as many hours in the day, I’d return in a heartbeat. But there aren’t, and this deliberate subtraction was necessary for me to keep going through the seasons that followed. Yet what I learned from that Toastmasters group played an important part in starting this blog and speaking about resilience. The leaves fell, but the nutrients went into these Hummingbird Field Notes.
What are you ready to let fall, and what will you carry with you when you do?
👇🏻 Let me know in the comments or on Instagram @hummingbird_resilience
