The Fall of Autumn
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Absence of this abstinent mind
of knowledge I have sought to find.
A dream of waking thought
has shown me my lot
in this, the life I choose.
That’s why I like Autumn. Because it’s pushy, it doesn’t wait on any of the other seasons, it comes and goes when and how it wants. None of the melting snow turning into mud turning eventually into grass, ; none of the indecisive wavering of the thermostat before summer finally tells spring to shove off sometime in late June. No, Autumn is it’s own boss, spray painting the leaves and cutting off beach days without so much as a curt nod in summer’s general direction.
But that’s what I love so much about it. You go to the beach Tuesday for a swim and Wednesday you put on a sweater and go to for a stroll to look at the molting trees. The comforts of autumn are not to be underestimated. Sure a gin and tonic on the deck in summer is nice, but those warm fuzzy p.j’s in the evening tend to screw a cap nicely on the day. I sit here writing this wearing, for the first time in a while, my fuzzy blue plaid pants and my very large very bohemian “chill-out†shirt. Add book or a pencil to the outfit and some background music to your taste and you have a fantastic evening ahead. There is something about fall too that provokes, for me anyway, thought. It is a time of art and a time of philosophy. A season when you prepare for what is coming and reflect on what is past.
Think of all the great art (not just painting, music or anything else) that has been created with the theme Autumn or was created during Autumn. Not just because of the beauty of drowsy trees, but the feeling in the air, the general relaxed sleepiness inherent in Autumn. It is a time of calm reevaluation and a time to be at peace. Autumn is the creator, ironically, of the seasons. It gives us the atmosphere to create, artistically and philosophically. That crisp air lends itself to crisp thoughts. Why, winter, must you ruin such a beautiful thing?
