Happy Pre-Fall Sunday!!
Crisp, shadowy, quiet Sunday morning in September, Labor Day is past, school is in full session and while the calendar doesn't necessarily agree, autumn seems to be upon us. I won't wish you a happy fall just yet, I'll abide by the official calendar, but the view from my deck as the steam dances from my coffee cup says it has arrived!
The sun rather than bake the sand on the beach, seems to rise to heat the chilly droplets of dew that rest upon the leaves and the summer furniture that we have, with great hope, left on our decks and patios beckoning just one more week of summer, one more day of hot sunny rays. But alas, we see shadows dance through the trees, beginning to dress themselves in oranges, yellows, reds, and browns as the sun shows us it's autumnal face. The lift of the fog from the dewy ground and the chill in the air. All signaling those days ahead of apple and pumpkin picking, and warm apple cider and the aroma of cinnamon. The calling of the birds, chirping bugs, croaking frogs that once greeted me each morning seem to have silenced, with only a hint of a tweet or twitter in the distance; instead the crunching of the leaves stirring the dog to bark, as it sounds like an intruder is nearby, and the laugh to see that what stirs the alarm is none other than a tiny little chipmunk skittering around looking for a nibble for now and a nibble of something to hide away when it is white that overtakes the landscape.
A loud, seemingly earth-shattering, bang in the distance; a mere acorn falling from the tree landing on the deck railing. Is it the promise of the winter slumber that begins the slowdown of the outside, that makes these little noises amplified to the point of making us jump? As the early morning hours pass into afternoon, a slight warmup begins, but leaves are beginning their annual dance recital as they twirl and spin from the branches; only a few for now, but the others a waiting, watchful audience clinging to the branches, not sure if they are ready to take the stage.
When you glance from your window, and you begin to see the leaves tipped in color by the ultimate artist's paintbrush; what images does it project from your memory of fall days? What adventures might be beckoning you from those leafy trails this year? Fall, a time of slowing down in nature, anticipation building for a well deserved long winter's nap.
In our days of full speed ahead, being productive for hour upon hour, can we, as we close in on the official calendar day of fall make a commitment to greet fall with a warm, thoughtful welcome? One in which we will allow ourselves a little of that natural slowing down process. If only for a crisp, quiet Sunday morning; can we become a part of nature and slow down long enough to reflect on the days ahead and what adventure, even the quickest one, we might give our deserving selves.
Embrace the slowing down, slumber in the possibilities, create your own path, add another story to your byline; if only for a few moments, breathe in those sights and sounds and let them take you away to find all the beauty deep inside you!