When my arrival is imminent, there is a certain smell in the air that conjures all kinds of wonderful feelings for people and elicits all of the senses. I bring the reminder of wrapping up in a cozy sweater and listening to the crunch of leaves underfoot, along with the taste of red delicious apples, and the sight of orange and gold colors dancing in the trees. I am fall, a favorite season of many, including those who love watching college football!
The joyful pinks and yellows of summer flowers have faded, and gardens are being turned as the fresh green beans, savory zucchini, crunchy cucumbers and juicy peaches are distant memories. If you think the leaves are the only things to see when out in nature during my season, I invite you to look again. My dear friends, winter, spring and summer, agree that we are all wonderfully unique with so much to celebrate that you really should make it a habit to get outside every day.
Follow the light and you will be so captivated by all of my offerings that you release all thoughts of time, and feel as you are are flitting about like a butterfly from one beautiful thing to the next. First you may spot the complicated, elegant blooms of spider lilies atop tall stalks without foliage. These flowers open their petals overnight and are considered to be symbols of inner strength because they emerge from darkness into light. Who knew that being present with nature could remind you of your own courage and ability to overcome obstacles?!
While you may have intended to get in lots of steps on your morning walk, you may find it hard to go very far because soon the sunlight illuminating the dew on the grass and the flowers in the field take your breath away and leave you standing still just soaking it all in. A dense spider web on a twig holding small stems and tiny seeds might inspire a sense of wonder that causes you to scratch your head trying to figure out what kind of seeds they might be. Good thing you left your phone behind because any distraction would have made you miss the rising sun highlighting the colorful leaves of the sweetgum tree in the distance, and the backlit leaf on the path at your feet.
Without even giving it conscious thought, you are soon walking beside a creek where you could literally spend hours just watching the water dance on the surface and flow over the leaves that have fallen to rest under the surface. It may not be until your dogs gleefully play in the water that you redirect your attention and are reminded that inserting fun in your day does not require going out to eat, watching a good movie or saving up to spend time at a fancy resort. Just like beauty that is all around you when you stop to notice, so is fun! All you need to do is choose to celebrate simple things like the single thread of a spiderweb highlighted by the sun, or the leaves of a resurrection fern awaiting a little rain to open up and show their green amidst the golden hues of my season.
I am a reminder of the joy that can be found in simple things. Embrace my arrival, as well as my entire stay, because before you know it, a new visitor will have taken my place to offer its own distinct gifts.
Beauty AND joy abound. Seek them daily!
