I love fall.
Crisp sunny days. The crunch of leaves under your feet. The first Macintosh apple. Watching squirrels pack away enough food for winter. Skunks ambling up the boulevard. Well, maybe not that last one, but you get the picture.
I have plenty of friends who soak in every hot humid summer day, and mourn the beginning of fall, but I’m in that minority that celebrates that first day that it’s cool enough to wear an extra layer and drink a cup of tea that seconds as a hand-warmer. They love their shorts and tank tops. I yearn for jean jackets and cardigans.
Today was an almost perfect fall day. The sun wasn’t shining, but the glory of the Mother Nature turning the seasons was everywhere – at least it was if you were looking for it.
I laced up my shoes and headed out on a local trail this afternoon. And while part of the reason was to get some extra steps (a work “Steps Challenge” has made us all a little competitive!) I also wanted to take stock of how many trees had begun to change colour. That meant a slower walk. I left my geriatric canine companion at home, which let me stop to look at things she can no longer see and gaze up into the trees to find birds and animals she can no longer hear. And while I did get my fair share of stares from others walking along, I saw many things I think they probably missed.
From lacy flowers to brightly-hued rosehips and from wrens to woodpeckers, my walk was full of colour and sound. As I listened to the quiet dull thud of my shoes on the damp wood-chip path, I could hear squirrels snacking on acorns and walnuts. Coming across a bridge, my eyes were entranced by bulrushes swaying in the breeze, with their “fluff” starting to explode from their seed heads. Ducks in the pond were quietly quacking away and I wondered how long it would be before their goose cousins would be flocking in the skies, their Vs signalling migration time.
I snapped a few photos while I was out there and it was a good reminder about slowing down. Too often, I rush from one commitment to another without so much as a breath. At work, it sometimes feels like I’m a ball in a pinball machine, pinging back and forth from one fire to another. But I have recently finished my final volunteer term on a board of directors and it is starting to be slower at home these days. With no kids at home, the obligations are fewer. It’s affording me the luxury of a little bit of time – time I’m selfishly enjoying.
As long as the weekend temperatures will let me, I’m going to soak in every last little bit of fall, and all the beauty it brings. Because soon enough, it will be winter, and while I do appreciate a cold sunny winter day with its bright blue skies (and an excuse for hot chocolate!), it’s just not quite the same!
