These are the days our social media feeds fill with colorful images of fall foliage, long vistas of crimson and gold trees, piles of crunchy leaves underfoot, scenes of warm firelight, cozy blankets, steaming cups of coffee.
Our taste buds crave hearty soups and stews, the spice of harvest flavors like pumpkin and apples. I always feel lucky to live in the Midwest in autumn, for nowhere else does the season gift us with such grandeur and beauty. Fall is such a poignant season — my favorite one most likely for that very reason.
I am, by nature, melancholic, and autumn fits my natural predisposition like the fuzzy gloves I pull out of my jacket pocket. With autumn the light dies quickly each day, the cycle of seasons comes to a close, the year ends in a triumphant blaze of glory. All things -good or bad — come to an end. Not every ending comes with the brilliant shades of autumn, but each one colors our world in its own unique way. And of course, with each ending comes a new beginning, with every change comes new opportunity.
Its an old adage but a true one — when one door closes, another one opens. I truly appreciate living in a place with four distinct seasons because along with the gifts of beauty autumn provides, it offers us a chance to reflect on the year gone by — on ALL the years that have accumulated like the piles of leaves under out feet, years that have blown in a vortex, whirling and swirling around our heads.
Autumn gives us a brief moment to prepare ourselves for the work that lies ahead, the cold winter days that call for courage and perseverance and determination. This autumn, more than any other in recent history, I feel called to work, to the kind of work that brings something meaningful to the world. Art is what connects me to thinking and ideas from centuries past, from the expressions of my contemporaries, and also from the ideas of youth.
