Thursday, November 08, 2007

Autumnal Wonder

Autumn. My favorite season of the year for so many reasons.

First, of course, the leaves. No matter how many pass, each year I am astounded by the brilliant colors of the leaves turning as though I had never seen the sight before. I can get lost staring at the landscape around me. And the sweet, buried smell as they slowly rot and become part of the ground below. The cold aroma of the coming Winter filling my lungs with each deep breath.

Also, the sadness. It may sound strange, but Autumn has always brought with it a subtle, sad feeling that creeps into my heart, and I love that feeling. It is the feeling of introspection, of change, of solitude. The trees shed their leaves, preparing themselves for the freezing Winter before they are able to finally renew in the Spring. The Autumnal sadness feels to me as though I am shedding something of my younger self, getting ready to hunker down and take a deep Winter look inside, hopefully learning something new about myself so the following year can be brighter and more fulfilling.

Back to the leaves. It is not only their visual aesthetic that is so appealing to me. It is the every-satisfying crunch crackle crunch sound-feeling as I walk through them. Ask just about anyone that really knows me, and they probably know that I will alter my path in order to walk through the leaves (Warning to all who leave tempting piles raked but not bagged!!!). Even my daughter laughs at me, then joins in, as I run through the piles surrounding her school each morning. They inspire me to run, to skip, to be young and show it.

Then, of course, there are Halloween and Thanksgiving. My feelings about both of these holidays have changed over the years, but I love the dressing up, the parties, the friends and family. The moderate weather. Sweaters. Comfort food. Certainly a season worthy of favorite.

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