As I gazed out the window at the reflections in the pond this morning I could see how quickly
Everything Changes
this time of year. A slight breeze made all of the reflections on the pond look soft and blurry this morning. The blurriness felt perfect to express how it feels like we went from green leaves to spectacular technicolor landscapes to empty branches in the blink of an eye.
Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.
— Henry David Thoreau
The tree reflections that showed all of fall’s colors two days ago now reveal the bones of the trees with almost no leaves remaining. The top of the river birch tree was bare today while lower branches still carried a few golden leaves. I could see little skims of ice floating in the pond this morning along with some color from reflections of bushes that had not yet lost their leaves.
I need to wear a jacket when I go out for a walk now. And I’m thinking of adding hat and gloves soon. As the air chills I think about all of the creatures that live in the pond, the turtles and frogs, insects, and other life. How do they know when to go deep and dig a place in the mud for winter hibernation? And do they feel sadness at the changing of the season? Do they, like me, wish for just one more day to soak up the warmth of the sun?
October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring constellations above them once again.
— Hal Bourland
Still, I look for beauty even as the trees undress for winter. And I find it despite my sadness at the turning of the season. For me, new things are underway, even as winter approaches. And I am feeling both gratitude and hope along with the sadness this time of year often brings.
I experience a sense of poetry in the pared down landscape of late fall. The bones of the earth and the trees stand out in stark contrast to the sky. Textures become more interesting as color fades from the landscape.
In the fall, I believe again in poetry, if nothing else it is a movement of the mind.
— Jaakko A, Ahokas
Slow down, breath, soak in how everything changes. Find something beautiful. Read a good book. Take a walk in the woods and enjoy the wider horizon you can see through the bare branches.
May you walk in beauty.
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