Some people really like fall.
That baffles me. To me, it’s a sad time.
Summer has clearly ended in these parts. The change came about ten days ago when the weather suddenly took its left turn, leaving behind the summer sunshine and yielding to that constant menu of rain. I like sunshine; I don’t like rain; I don’t like toting around an umbrella.
Several hikes have already been aborted. Cycling is curtailed. I did sneak in a last-day canoe trip on the gorgeous day before the weather change.
In a couple of days, we’ll cross the next threshold–the autumnal equinox, with the days now shorter than the nights. Yikes! I prefer daylight. (And I’ll be happy if we decide to stick to daylight savings time.)
Shorter days and longer nights means cooler weather. I love warmth more than cold.
The trees have already started their shedding; that will pick up in earnest next month. And by December they’ll be bare. The flowers have already lost most of their bloom. . . .
But there are also good things to mute this melancholy: the return of routine helps us organize our lives. Fall educational and recreational programs return, helping us to become better people in both mind and body. I’m picking up curling this winter, something I’ve always wanted to do, but never got around to.
And the fall colours, even if more muted than the floral brilliance, are nevertheless still beautiful! A trip through the Coquihalla in late September or October leaves a fabulous palette of fall hues. (I get to do that trip twice in the next two weeks.)
And then there are the celebrations to look forward, and gradually build up, to: Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas.
Fall is also a sports lover’s utopia: Hockey is back, as is pro basketball, the NFL, the World Series, and the culmination of the CFL season. Curling will soon be on my TV, as well.
Still, the melancholy is not totally abated.
But, as I contemplate fall, I’m reminded of what I have always believed, but need to be prompted with again and again, that “Happiness is a decision, not a reaction to circumstances.”
And, by George, I’m going to seize fall by the throat and squeeze every last bit of happiness out of it that I can!
. . . at least, that’s how I see it.
