These days, I am driving my daughters crazy! You may ask, isn’t that normal for a parent? Yes, but right now, it’s worse than normal. You see, I love this time of year, from October through Mid-December. No, not the holiday season, though I do love that as well. It’s autumn that I love. Okay, let me clarify that. Do I love the drop in temperatures, the countless leaves in the yard, the frost on my windshield and the morning fog? Well, no, I honestly don’t. However, I do love the autumn, and I’ll tell you why.
If you live in a state where the seasons change, I mean actually change from fall to winter to spring to summer and back to fall, have you looked outside recently? Have you really, truly looked outside? Look past the closed up pool with its lonely lounges covered for the winter. See beyond the blanket of leaves that seems to widen exponentially. Gaze through the thick veil of fog. What do you see now? Do you see the reds and oranges and yellows blazing against the turquoise or grey-blue sky? Do you see the geese as they fly in their V-formation gliding over the treetops and then swooping down to land amid the stubble left from the corn in the fields? Can you make out the bold contrast of the sun in the darker sky as it hovers over and casts its reflection on the smooth, glassy waterways? Have you given a second’s worth of thought to how undeniably beautiful it is right now across the bare plains, colorful forests, and majestic mountains of our Nation? Open your window and breathe in the crisp, fresh air on your way home tonight. Watch the shadows as they dance through the trees and over the lakes and creeks as the end of the day sun’s rays bounce off of the horizon, darker, deeper, more brilliant than at any other time of the year.
That’s what I will be doing this evening and for a few more evenings this year as the girls and I drive home. We will be stopping here and there along our route so that I can snap pictures of the sunset or the glow of the moon over the water. We will continue to leave just a few minutes early each morning to see the sun rise over the creek across the way in order to bask in its glory as it rises over the fiery treetops. Yes, they will continue to tell me that I’m driving them crazy, that I couldn’t possibly need another picture of the deer standing in the empty field at twilight. But it’s all worth it when one of them yells, “Stop the car! Did you see that scene? Back up!” When that happened last week, I knew that they have finally started to appreciate what I am seeing and have learned to not just move through life on cruise control. It’s so much better if you take the time to look around.
Amy Schisler is an author of mystery and suspense novels. Her first book, A Place to Call Home may be purchased in stores, online, and through ibooks. Her previously published children’s book, Crabbing With Granddad may be purchased in stores and on Amazon. http://amyschislerauthor.com/amyschislerauthor.com/Books.html
You may follow her at http://facebook.com/amyschislerauthor on Twitter @AmySchislerAuth and on her web site http://amyschislerauthor.com
Great article and nice colors!
Thank you!