Autumn Leaves

Autumn leaves me with mixed feelings.

The joy of the vibrant colours - the reds, the yellows and the oranges, sometimes even pink and fuschia intermixed with greens and browns. Squirrels chase each other with joyful abandon on the telephone lines and through the fallen leaves. Chickadees, cardinals and even robins fly around and play, eating the remaining fruit from the hawthorne outside my window. The crispness of a sunny fall day is wonderful.

Going for a refreshing walk to admire the glowing colours also makes me sad. I am sad and very aware of all the plants who are dying, or hibernating, for this year. Piles of dead leaves (to jump in?), trees already void of greenery, wilted hostas and begonias looking sad and in need of raking and composting. Winter is on its way. The days grow shorter. The temperatures are cooler. Frost appears some mornings.

I love the sun and the warmth. I love the energy of being surrounded by growing plants. Fall means that while there may be sun, the warmth and the growth are now months more away. I am sad for that absence. However if summer were the only season to be experienced, it would no doubt be boring. Four very distinct seasons provide wide varieties of beauty and colours.

So I will put aside my sadness at the decline of this year’s plants, appreciate the beauty of their last days and look forward to next year’s blossoms and growth!