Gratitude for Autumn - Colors of the Laurentions in Quebec

Last Weekend: Gratitude for Autumn

14/10/2016

When summer fades, when the sunlight changes, when the morning air feels subtly different and the month names become longer, I get a little bit anxious.

I feel like I've always fought Time, in my life. I've always been the type to cram in more than what days can hold without spilling over. I've tried to cheat Time in gentle ways but, inevitably, midnight comes, birthdays swing 'round and seasons change.

I have always appreciated autumn more than spring, impressed by its efforts to keep us feeling hopeful and alive, with its saturation of our senses. If summer has to end, I feel grateful it is followed by such an explosive, fiery, awe-inspiring season, giving us happiness of a different kind.

Last weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada. Saturday was rainy, and was spent working leisurely, meeting new clients, developing new exciting projects for the holiday season and next year. It was cool enough to inspire thoughts of pumpkins and to warrant a hearty soup for supper. Sunday was spent with family and all the joy they (and my childhood home) bring. And Monday was so gloriously sunny, it was too promising a day to stay indoors or even in the city. So, I fled to the mountains, in search of colors and crisp air!

It has always amazed me how Nature is the perfect reboot. The Sea still has my heart, of course, but mountains are a solid second. It's like we need to lift our head up sometimes, out of our work and daily routines, and tilted up towards the sky and the warmth of the sun. We need to feel like a small insignificant speck sometimes, to experience a moment of awe, or quietude, or vertigo. We need to be free of distractions and focus only on what lands on our senses. We need to see the horizon, to see all that stretches towards it, and we are refreshed, at least momentarily. It's our task to hold onto that fresh air and clear head for as long as we can.

Last weekend, I felt profoundly grateful for autumn, for nature, for all the blessings and opportunities I have, and for all the people I love.

I may be stubbornly denying that summer has glided by (I am still not comfortable admitting it), but I am glad that autumn is so loud and so joyous that no one can sulk for long. That being said, I may not survive when the snow hits...