Note: This was the prompt for yesterday. However, I blogged today’s prompt yesterday so I could talk about the solstice on the actual summer solstice. So today, we’re going back to get yesterday’s post. Tomorrow, we’ll be back on schedule.

Cycles are a natural part of life. We have the agricultural cycle. We have the sleep cycle. We have the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Cycles tend to be a pattern that nature is really good at duplicating and implementing.

Cycles are quite useful because cycles and often do build on previous cycles. This creates a sort of spiral pattern and a sense of progression rather than simply “going in circles.” As I go through the same cycle, I might notice different things, expanding my understanding of that cyclical process, myself, and the world around me. As an early childhood educator might tell you, repetition is an important part of learning. Again, this seems to be a concept that nature understands quite well.

So when I find myself repeating a cycle — assuming it’s not a cycle I need to break in order to encourage healthier patterns — I try to see what I can learn as I take another trip around the loop.

(This post is part of #ChangingPathsChallenge2024. For more information on the challenge and a list of topics/prompts, see Yvonne Aburrow’s post announcing the challenge.)