Sometimes change can feel like destruction and it's difficult to see the bright side. As the season of change commences today on the fall equinox, try this exercise to help you understand the ways in which uncomfortable events such as endings can have their own beauty and role in our lives.

Gather a collection of broken items. These can be simple, ordinary objects you find in your daily life, such as a mug with a missing handle, a bit of broken plastic, a ruined toy or other mundane things. It doesn't really matter. Just accept the items you stumble across.

Place the items on a tray. Set aside five to ten minutes to sit quietly with these broken things and contemplate them. You might find yourself noticing that there are pretty or interesting details, like the bright shine on a jagged edge or the color revealed when something is cracked. It might feel a little strange at first, but allow your mind to go where it wants to.

Write down your impressions. At the end of seven days, throw the items out or recycle them, thus letting go of the past and allowing new energies to come in. You've sat with the broken things and learned to see the beauty of destruction and change, and now you can start over.