If ever I wished a time could stand still, it would be during the Autumn season. I love everything about it except for the warning that comes with it, that winter is near. All the more reason to cherish it with all of our might.
We latch onto the last hot days. We are so tired of the hot, sweaty days, but then again, do we really want the cold? We wish we could bottle those hot days, to be released later in the year. Knowing the hot days will suddenly disappear one day, not to return for a very long time, makes us appreciate those last few remaining heated days.
As the heat retires, giving the position to the chillier, windy weather of Autumn, a sense of tranquility becomes the mood. People slowly accept summer's end and welcome the cool breeze. It is relief not having the scorching heat and soaked clothes. We know summer will be back faithfully, in its own season, for it has since the beginning of time. Meanwhile, people tend become happier. It is not too hot, yet not too cold.
Along with the temperature change, comes a splash of new color here and there. A little red here, a little orange there. The new colors trigger our thoughts and puts us in a different frame of mind. Our instinct warns us to begin preparing for winter. Fall cleaning, storing, and winterizing become the name of the game. But we shouldn't get so caught up in our work that we aren't savoring every pleasant day. They are short-lived now, and shorter from day to night.
Take heed. The beautiful scenery should be our main attraction. Autumn will have a peak and if we blink, we may miss it. It can somehow seem shorter than the grand finale we see on the Fourth of July. And as the Fourth of July has its own palette of colors, so does the new Fall spectacular event. Nature's Fall palette definitely had a designer. Oranges, from burnt-orange to Orange-yellow. Yellows, from buttery-yellow to butterscotch. Brick-red, fire-red, and Sequoia brown. The generous amounts of copper, bronze, and gold can make any man feel rich. The colors are so rich, in fact, that they become too rich for the tree.
Leaves slowly begin to trickle down, and the more they trickle, the louder the crunch beneath our feet. The children in us return, as we can't resist the urge to kick and frolic in the thickness of new groundcover.
But we are stopped by a new sound, an alarm in our heads. What falls down must be picked up. We suddenly see another chore to do. It doesn't have to be. We can choose to be happy- or not, and we can choose for the raking to be a chore- or not. It can be a party for one or a party for five. The color scheme has already been planned. It can involve apple cider or hot chocolate. Why not go all out, and spark a bonfire. Hotdogs? Smore's for dessert?
Smore's is just the beginning. We find ourselves fattening up for the cooler weather, not by choice, but through temptation. Every store displays what seems like truckloads of candy. The candy is for the little ghosts and witches on Halloween night. We can't help but to have our own personal bag, and we eat it as Mr. Jack-o-lantern smiles at us from one side to the other.
As the days getter cooler and Fall time gets shorter, we are drawn to the oven. We get through the end of Fall because our concentration is on cooking and the bountiful Thanksgiving meal we will have. Turkey and stuffing. Pumpkin pie. Again, cherish the moment. The colors are going, going, gone.
We look out the window. It is cold, windy and rainy. No color. Only branches, ripped to nakedness. The rain slowly transforms from drops to snowflakes. It is the first snow of the year. Kind of exciting, but a hint, none the less of what is to follow. It won't get us down. We have a very special day to look forward to, which will help us get through December.
Cherish the moment. Cherish the Fall. We have January and February to sulk and get tired of the snow and cold.