Autumn Arriving

Autumn.  That one word can evoke such a different response from almost anyone you ask, yet I would bet that most would immediately think of leaves turning colors, pumpkins, and cool crisp days.  You will always get the few that bypass the benefits and look immediately to the detriments; raking leaves, cool days, and less sun.  Yet, the detriments pale in comparison when you are out and about experiencing first hand the beauty that is the autumnal season.  Out of the four seasons we experience (five if you include the month of July being "Humidity") in the northeast, two stand out as my favorites, autumn and spring.  While spring is a re-birth, a return to life of everything that has laid dormant through the winter (including humans), autumn is a slow, beautiful retraction of that life that never lasts long enough.  Gone are the long, humid days of summer with the sun shining late into the evening.  Gone are the days when shorts are the norm from sunrise to sunset.  Yet with the disappearance of summer comes a cool breath of fresh air.  Air conditioners are removed from windows to make way for nature's breath and rejuvenation and you could almost feel the air crinkle all around you with its crispness.  There is nothing I like more than waking up in the morning and having to put on a sweatshirt to walk the dogs.  The crisp morning air, devoid of all humidity, is invigorating in ways that summer never can be.  The moment I take my first breath outdoors and see a little puff of vapor upon exhalation is when I know that I can rest assured that I won't sweat that day.  To be honest, shorts are still the norm for me, the last vestige of summer that I won't let go of until it is absolutely necessary.  I for one have always loved the cooler weather, the breeze that flutters through the leaves and raises the hair on your arms with that little chill.  I love the fact that if I get to warm in the sun, all I have to do is find a spot of shade to immediately cool down.   Sure the sun doesn't stay out as long anymore, but longer days will return eventually.  Autumn is about enjoying every minute of every sunny day. 

 

My favorite part of autumn, despite the cool, brisk air, are the changing of the leaves.  It always amazes me how seemingly one day everything is still green and the next the colors become apparent on the trees all around.  Solid green becomes rimmed with golds, reds, and oranges; slowly creeping inwards and taking over as in a coup.  Trees look as if they are on fire; crinkling and crackling in the wind, the leaves a cacophonous melody in the daily song of autumnal life.  Slowly at first, the leaves will release, break free of their summer roost, and meander their way downward, landing with just the faintest of sounds.  The fiery monuments, dancing in the wind become blankets covering the ground with a warm embrace, a final return to earth.  For those few weeks of colored brilliance abounding all around, the world seems more alive than it does all summer.  But only for those few weeks, which makes it all the more precious.  Autumn is the perfect time for a walk in the woods down a meandering path laden with crisp leaves.  Every step announces your presence and with the leaves drifting down all around, your path is erased.  I am in love with autumn for its crisp cool air, the distinct smell of colored leaves, and the view of nature winding down for the year.  Autumn seems to slow everything down a notch, begging everything and everyone to pause and take a breath.  I know I do every day.  And while autumn doesn't last forever, as nothing should, I will take it while its here.