Autumn
Most people say that spring is a time for renewal, growth, love. A time when old things become new. That’s not true for me. I’ve always been an Autumn girl. You know what I mean, right? You wake up one morning and the air is different, your toes have that chilly little tingle as you slide out of bed, little goosebumps begin rising up on your arms. This happened to me yesterday and immediately I slid my feet into my fur-lined camo slippers as I reached for my plush robe. I began to hope, dream, that maybe, just maybe it’s really time! As I trip over one dog & race another to the front door the anticipation is killing me! Could fall really be here? Is it time for hoodies, bonfires, snuggling up with a fuzzy blanket, a hot cup of tea and a book?
I open the door and it hits me. That first Autumn wind that brings back childhood memories of jumping into piles of leaves, playing outside until our fingertips and the tips of our noses are pink. The excitement and anticipation of that first cup of hot chocolate, with marshmallows, of course, that would inevitably burn your tongue on the first sip. So many scents, memories, and promises blow through my hair with that first cool breeze of autumn. Promises of more memories to be made. Cool nights spent around a bonfire with friends and family, roasting hot dogs, telling the same old stories we’ve told for years and laughing harder each time with the remembrance times gone by and mischief managed. These are the days I long for, live for the rest of the year. Something in that cool crisp air seeps into my bones, begins to run through my blood and fuel my desire for life, energize me in a way nothing else can. Is it the thought of all things pumpkin coming my way? Knowing that, at least for a while, my Saturdays will be spent with family, friends, love, laughter and Crimson Tide football? Or is it the sound of skittering leaves crossing my path as I walk through the Bankhead National Forest? It could be knowing that soon my evenings will be spent cuddled up on the couch with a handmade quilt watching favorite classic horror movies with my kids and grandkids. Or finally being able to dig out those crockpots from the cabinets and the homemade broth from the freezer to eagerly celebrate soup season! It’s likely a combination of all of these things and more that excite me and bring me comfort in knowing that Fall is here. Whatever it is, I’m embracing it wholeheartedly. I will revel in this changing season, soak up the smells, enjoy the fall treats, warm myself by the fire but most of all I will let the spirit of Fall energize me again this year. Allowing the promises of great things to come to enter my soul and feed my hopes and dreams as I change along with the season. Becoming older, hopefully wiser but always, always more childlike in my expectations and beliefs. Autumn brings a sense of magic to my usually mundane world. I write more often, craft more often, cook more often, spend more time with family and friends. Most importantly I embrace what the world has to offer and what I have to offer the world. Autumn is magic. And I believe.
