Autumn has arrived

Autumn has arrived, without so much as a warning. Suddenly, temperatures are not even reaching into the 80s most days and weather forecasters are saying we're done with the hot weather for this year. It was just a couple of weeks ago that we were baking in the unrelenting sun, and it seemed that would never end.

I'm not complaining at all. I like that distinctive feel of a fall day - a little breeze constantly stirring the air and a crispness that has been missing for months. It's lovely. I just needed a bit gentler approach to the changing season. I'm accoustomed to first seeing the sumac, then noticing with surprise the leaves starting to turn even while temperatures are still hot.Only after that am I ready for the forecasters to start saying we're done with hot temperatures for the year.

It's not that I want any more hot temperatures, but I do want to mark the seasons. We seem to have gone from the height of summer to the middle of fall, with little inbetween. There was no tapering off, no ramping up. It was as if the calendar page turned and mother nature noticed and complied immediately.

One of the things I know about myself, that was crystallized when I worked with a life coach, is that I need time to get used to things. I need to process them at my own speed. This is a blessing and a curse. But, it just is. Maybe this is the reason I need the seasons to change gradually, so I grow used to the idea that we're moving on.

I also like to anticipate. I love each season in its own way, and I like to anticipate its arrival. Anticipation is a huge happiness for me.

The seasons also note the marching on of time. I'm reminded of how we can so easily forget to live our days, and end up wishing them away instead.