My life a spreading ring
of quiet, like the trout’s brief
in-breath
at the surface of a river,
like the slow
outward movement of a raindrop
spreading on a still lake.
— David Whyte, Death Waits

Initium is the Latin word from which initiate is derived. It simply means a beginning. Today is the first day of October, which seems an appropriate day to begin something beyond a new month. We don’t have to wait for New Year’s Day for such things as life change, we simply need to decide to begin.

What is a great life but the steady expansion of personal experience? We are collectors of days, filled with that which enriches us. To leave a day empty feels wasteful. Do something with the gift, or squander it. We rise each day facing the same choice.

Initiative is only the beginning. We must act upon it. On this first day of October, seize what flees. Carpe diem.