Fall or Autumn is my favorite time of year! It feels transformative in a way that other seasons don’t. I can recall making changes in my life in the Fall almost as if I needed to harvest what I had learned before it went fallow.
This year – 2018 – the Autumn Equinox falls on September 22nd at 6:54 pm Pacific Time. I would like to celebrate it in a semi-formal way, just because I love the season so much. What is your favorite season and why?
Some of the things I love about Fall include the smells, the vibrant colors, the feel of a crispness in the air, the bare fields and the heaviness of the grapes on the vines. I also love the Holidays. Halloween just happens to be my daughter’s birthday, but even before she was born, the excitement of that Halloween was always very invigorating. And Thanksgiving . . . being grateful for so much, like the bounty from the harvests and the bounty of love’s potential in the World.
In spite of all the beauty and joy, however, there is a contrasting sense of melancholy. The warm weather and the long days are dwindling away. The months ahead bring shorter days, cooler temperatures, and in the Pacific Northwest where I live, months of cloudiness and rain that seem to last forever. I am forced to take notice of what is happening, if only to prepare for those changes.
Before the rain begins, I want more than ever to spend as much time outside as possible. Some activities lend themselves well to the Autumn season. Some examples can be found on this website, The Rhythms of Play:
You may not need an excuse to play, but for those of us being held hostage by the daily demands of life, consider some of the ideas on the website to break free, if only for a day or two:
- Because Autumn is a time of harvest, make a list of everything you are thankful for and maybe begin collecting grateful thoughts in a special jar to look back on when you need a little pick-me-up.
- Make Fall nature crafts, using items from outdoors, like leaves and nuts.
- Let go of something old and begin something new. Start by making a list of all the things you’ve been wanting to do and then pick the top two or three to actual carry out.
- Visit local farms or orchards and take part in activities like going through a corn maze, taking a hayrack ride, or picking some pumpkins to carve.
- Decorate your home with fall decor using items from nature.
- Have or attend a bonfire (remember Homecoming?).
Can you tell? I’m distracting myself from the trials and tribulations occurring on the world stage right now and focusing instead on small pleasures that make life so much more worth living. Take 5 minutes right now to enjoy the sights and sounds of Autumn in New England:
Happy Autumn!