Fall

I love fall. I always have. I may be alone in this (although I believe that J shares this affinity) but I love the cool weather that signals the start of autumn. I like watching the leaves turn their amazing colors at this time of the year. I am by no means a gardener, but I can appreciate the beauty of it. I loved starting school, the buying of school supplies and even now I feel the pull of buying paper, pencils, crayons and the like, I try to content myself with one purchase but I could easily buy a cart full of stuff. There is nothing like the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil or a new box of crayons. What can I say I have simple tastes.

I know there are many that look on this time of the year with something akin to dread, but I never have. I realize that for some this signals an end of something. And, of course, that is true. Harvest time, an end of the planting season, school, an end of long days of leisure. The land begins its preparation for its winter slumber. But I can’t help be moved by the beauty of this time of year. In Michigan, where I live, we sometimes skip right from winter to summer and back again, but when we have a real fall, I revel in it. This week we’ve had a bit of a cold snap in the mornings, which after a summer of 80 and 90 degree weather is a welcome change for me.

I’m also a fan of the foods associated with this time of the year, sadly. I say sadly because if I let myself I could really pack on the pounds. I am trying to remain vigilant in that respect but when I’m faced with fresh cider and hot donuts my willpower begins its slow descent into non-existent. Let’s not even talk about caramel apples and pumpkin pie.

I guess for me I’ve never really viewed fall as an end. This was always a time of new beginnings in some respect. New classes, new supplies, a new season. Which makes me consider the fact that certain situations are simply what we make of them. I am trying to learn that lesson, that how I perceive something will shade my attitude toward it. Viewing things with apprehension and dread will certainly manifest itself as such. Looking at life with eyes that see possibility instead of defeat can only improve my outlook. I fail miserably at this often, but I find myself wanting to do better, to be better.

So, as the summer ebbs slowly into fall, my hope is to be more attuned to those around me, less self absorbed, to put those good examples I see every day into practice. And I wonder, not for the first time, if I’m too old to buy a new box of crayons.