By Jess Sheppard, Assistant Head of School, Academics

"We didn't ask for it, but it's all around us, a gratuitous beauty."
–Nick Cave

Autumn has always been my favourite season. Of course, I love it for all the expected reasons: vibrant colours, warm beverages, the start of fireplace season, an excuse to purchase yet another new sweater—but beyond autumn's aesthetic beauty, there is symbolic beauty as well.

As leaves change colour in autumn, the beauty in transition is displayed. When we experience changes or endings in our own lives, it's easy to dwell on the challenges they bring; fall colours remind us that in every transition, every ending, every experience, every thing, there is also beauty. It's inescapable.

Canadian explorer and author Adam Shoalts, who will be at RLC on October 24, is keenly aware of the beauty in challenge, the ways in which it allows us to learn and grow from our experiences, to feel gratitude for the seemingly small things. In his remote wilderness explorations, Shoalts frequently encounters reminders of the importance of pausing to see and appreciate all that life brings, even in the midst of great challenge and discomfort. In his latest book, Where the Falcon Flies, Shoalts describes paddling solo through whitewater in the subarctic, near the Quebec/Labrador border. His focus is not on the trials of his day, but the perspective they offer: "The triumph of running the rapids, crossing the watershed divide, and best of all finding a flat spot to sleep on made me particularly cheerful. I celebrated with a cup of spruce tea, a freeze-dried meal, and a nice blazing fire before turning in for the night."

This is a viewpoint that we can all benefit from, I think, and one that I hope resonates with the RLC community during Shoalts' visit later this month. In the meantime, let us appreciate autumn—in all its beauty—and the lessons it brings.