I love exploring the beautiful parks of Shanghai and no matter how many times I walk through a particular park, each time there is something new to see and experience. Being surrounded by nature, trees, flowers and water it is easy to forget I am in one of the busiest cities of Asia. It amazes me that you can hardly hear the sounds of the city even though it surrounds this beautiful park. Century Park is in the east of Shanghai and I was privileged enough to be able to go for a walk through this amazing park nearly every Sunday this year.

Seeing how the park changes with the seasons reminds me that we also change with the seasons and years and that I have grown and changed since my first walk through this park nearly 2 years ago. The seasonal transition from summer to autumn is upon Shanghai and reminds me that we experience change in our lives constantly. Transformation and change are both part of life and nature and its seasons constantly remind us that these occur naturally. We must go through all phases in order to grow and although we might resist change, it will happen regardless. I have learnt that when we become in tune with nature, we can learn to flow more freely with the currents of life.

As summer draws to a close, the warm weather, longer days, and time spent outdoors sweating begins to fade. The start of school (or work), cooler temps, and shorter days and more time spent outside exploring signify the end of summer in Shanghai. The last few weeks before autumn can be a very fruitful time for us all. It can be a time to hit the reset button; to take stock of your life, set new goals, and get organized for the upcoming season.

Change is a beautiful gift that reminds us while we cannot control what happens outside of us, we can always control the way we respond.