Yellow

It used to be that fall was my least favorite time of the year. Fall meant the end of lazy summer days, the  coming cold winter, and work. I used to despise the changing colors all around me because I knew what followed. How could anyone enjoy such colors when death was just around the corner. It was to get cold, dark, and lonely for months. Why is that something to look forward to? I find a couple things wrong with that perspective.

For one, enjoy the moment you are in. Perhaps it is because now, having a few more years on me than I did back in middle school or even elementary school, I see that life is full of both frost and humidity. Sunshine isn't always readily available each and every day. So when there is a burst of life, as in the spring or fall-when that kaleidoscope of colors is upon us-it is one of life's great moments. And we should celebrate and enjoy it, not detest it. Yes, death is around the corner, but spring will be back, as will fall. And for those 5-6 weeks it is beauty on a level unmatched the rest of the year. 

But secondly, why is death such a bad thing to begin with? For one, in nature, the death I am talking about isn't really a true death but a hibernation. A reprieve from the blossoming and flowering that takes  precedence the rest of the year. It is a needed rest. As is death. And so, referring back to the first point, once you have come to terms with the fact that death and rest are both needed, you begin to enjoy fall that much more.

And so it is with eager anticipation that I wait for the changing leaves. I am looking forward to the pallette or reds, oranges, yellows, browns, and fading greens. And I am also looking forward to the bareness of winter. It is a time to recover. And a time to ponder anew. So that come April, when life is back in full force, I am prepared for the sweeping changes that will occur. Take this last gasp of change with excitement, and enjoy it while it lasts.