Yesterday, I had a glorious day. Drove two hours out of the city and found myself in rolling hills full of changing leaves. The drive North along the Hudson was stunning. We ended up at Apple Wood orchard in Chester, NY. We picked apples, ate home made apple cider doughnuts, tasted New York State wines, picked a pumpkin for carving, and stumbled upon a harvest festival in an artist colony. Basically, had a dream of a day with my family. As we drove home through the gorgeous views of what I think were the foothills of the Catskills I began to question my usual begrudging of fall.
Every year as the leaves begin to change color and the temperature drops I threaten to get out my staple gun and staple the leaves back onto their branches. It always seems that summer is too short, as a Florida girl I love summer. Summer dresses, swimming in the ocean, picnics, long days spent outdoors in the sunshine. To soon it seems the days grow shorter and cooler. Fall is beautiful, but it’s a harbinger of winter. Which for me means freezing cold for too long. Hands like ice, feet numb, artificial drying heat, chapped lips, and pale skin. But what I’m learning from my son, believe it or not, is to appreciate each season as it comes.
Once a child comes into your life it’s up to you to create wonder out of every time of the year. So each season does truly bring something new and beautiful. We must have done a good job last year because some how a Florida girl and an Arizona boy gave birth to a child whose favorite season is winter. He can’t wait for the snow. And yes, with him, we had a great time last year. He loved playing in the snow. He even said he loved being cold. Where did he come from?
His easy acceptance of each new season, of each new thing that comes into his life got me thinking about change in general and of accepting change as it comes. Often times I resist change. Even simple changes like the new face of Yahoo. For weeks I pressed the NOT NOW button to keep my email the same knowing it would have to change over by the end of the month. Is this because I never really had seasons when I was growing up? We celebrated the changes without really having the weather to back it up. Probably not why I resist change. But I am learning to be more accepting of the weather and to actually enjoy the seasons as they come because of my son. The fall treats and foods that are new to the farmers market. The cooler days, the beautiful falling leaves. Yes, I have to say good-bye to summer and pack away my bathing suit, but there’s so much that comes with each new season. Fall gives a feeling of starting over, the beginning of school and a fresh start to the year.
On the grander scale I’m trying to accept the changes in my life with hope. It is inevitable that things change, my son grows each day, the world around us shifts, we are continually witnessing new things and this is good. The changes that come to us known or unknown are a chance for us to experience something new and to challenge ourselves. It’s good to get out of our comfort zone whether we’re forced out or find our own way into something new. The seasons remind us of this. Just as we are settling into one, another comes along. Nature is anything but stagnant. Perhaps we should grow in spring, thrive in summer, prepare in fall, and rest in winter. Our lives and ideas may not always follow the seasons, but if we follow Mother Nature’s guidance we might find ourselves more willing to accept the unexpected and see the beauty in change.
