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8 October, 2005
Autumn's not so bad
Ah, autumn is here. The skies are grey and dismal, the temperature drops five degrees every day, and the trees are losing their once thick foliage like withered, anxious old men.
Gone are the joyous, colourful days of summer, when lawns were green (a bit too chemically green in some cases), skies were blue, and we painted the town. Vacations are over, and we return, shoulders slumped, to the real grind of work and school. No longer are we rewarded for a hard day’s work with warm sunshine, barbecues, and sandals.
Of course, this is how the pessimists see autumn: the last gasp of real living before the plunge into a frozen, forsaken wasteland.
But I agree with Brad Roberts, frontman of the successful Canadian music group Crash Test Dummies. In their song “Here on Earth I’ll have my Cake”, he sang “I don’t care if it’s spring, summer, winter, or fall. I make no fuss about the seasons, ‘cause I like ‘em all.”
Since I was young(er), I’ve loved autumn. To me, autumn is New Year’s. January 1 doesn’t feel much different than December 31. In fact, around here February 1 doesn’t feel much different than December 31. But the difference between September 1 and October 1 is breathtaking.
Autumn brings a new year for me because it’s quite literally a new school year. While I’ve been out of school for a long time, the excitement of a new school year is permanently in my blood. I associate autumn with new people, new books, and new activities. And even though I’m blissfully married, autumn still brings back the wonder and joy of my first love.
When I was in school, summer meant working at a boring 9-to-5 job. Autumn signified release from the drudgery of that work and propulsion into exciting new worlds of learning.
These days, the reverse is true. Summer brings a lighter workload as clients take vacations, and so do I. Now autumn is the hunkering down into the serious stuff of life.
But that isn’t so bad. I don’t mind the work that I do. I still learn a lot in my work, and often when I’m not working, I’m teaching, which is a thrill. Also, I write less in the summer, and that’s not good!
Have you ever had a great day of leisure? A day filled with high-energy fun, like skiing, hiking, waterskiing, or amusement park riding? Isn’t it a special kind of pleasure to wind down afterwards? Perhaps you sat by a fireplace with warm cider, by a campfire with a guitar, or in bed with a book or a movie?
That’s autumn. Sure, winter is the long trip home. But forget about that. Enjoy the calm relaxing after the party.
I love autumn, and spring too, for being dynamic. Each day is different than the last. It’s so exciting to see the world transforming before your naked eye.
Come fall, whatever heat we’ve lost in the air, we regain in the fiery red, yellows, and oranges of the trees. It’s spectacular. I have a 65-year-old friend who, when she showed me photos she took along her bike route, was as giddy as my 3-year-old niece at birthday present time. Even without her effusive, awe-filled gushing about the autumnal beauty of our capital region, her adoration of nature was obvious in the photos.
At the end of summer, when the surface of things seems cold and dead, I choose to take a cue from my friend. I dig a bit deeper and see the soft, true beauty of the world I live in.
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