Falling towards Autumn

Thoughts, memories, remembrances fill my head and squeeze my heart from a crazy year.

I’ve been striving to finish one task and then another, racing toward the finish line. Only to find out the line has moved.

It’s time to breathe deep and close my mind, allowing the stillness of fall to settle on my ears. So much is happening around us in nature as it prepares to rest.

Voices are quieted and responsibilities set aside as I pause to listen to the rustling of leaves and the cricket’s song. Squirrels race from tree to bush, mapping out the final locations of their underground food bunkers.

Unique in shape and size, the leaves turn red, gold, tangerine and dusty brown. They twirl and lilt and land like coins on the ground, only to be joined by fellow travelers. With a hearty breeze, they follow one, then another, in a circle upward as if lifted on a string.

As it grows dark, I catch a whiff of burning wood, crisp air and feel the coolness on my bare skin as I look toward the darkening sky. Pumpkins line neighbors’ porches and foliage thins, shrinking the distance between our house and the neighbors. Tree branches frame a new line of sight, to the firehouse, shaping the horizon.

Back inside, I retreat to an inner room with flannel sheets, a down comforter and a smiling dog, who believes his sole purpose in life is to help me and my husband snuggle into the night. Or, chase the kitties down the hall … My evening spirits are lifted with a nighttime prayer, a steaming mug of hot chocolate and George Winston on the radio. I love fall.