First Movement: Reminiscence
The avenues were lined with gold, and the cobbled pavement, buried in brilliant scarlet.
Poetically, that would have been how I’d like to describe the scene. Spending my third fall in the US and that clichéd touristy image of fall with its rich amber maple trees remains a fantasy. One reason was that D.C offered more gingko trees than maple, so the streets tend to be covered in dingy yellow and brown tones. Secondly, there’s regular maintenance where the streets are swept every couple of days, so what we ended up seeing were neat rows of piles of dried leaves on the pavements.
Nevertheless, my husband and I found a path back to innocence in our first year in the US while exploring Georgetown. A walk around that neighborhood brought us back to being five-year-olds.
Despite appearing more serious and conventional than me, my husband knows how to play. It didn’t take long for his orbs to light up and reflect the tall piles of fallen leaves. Demonstrating the art of leaf-kicking, he proudly strode through a row of leaf litter, lifting each leg with sufficient force to send the piles flying and watching them stir and swirl around.
A burst of nature’s confetti!
Second Movement: Reflection
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
The fall of leaves carries the lesson that all things natural must come to an end. The decay to dust, the loss of weight delivers a sense of gravity. Should we allow nature to run its course, this gravity comes not as a burden, but as a liberating weight of sobriety. In the awakeness and acceptance of the human condition, therein arise peace and grace, and gratitude for this precious life.
And have you ever watched how a leaf falls?
It takes its time to wander:
fluttering
and
tumbling,
soaring
before finally
landing
on
the
ground.
When we face come what may with acceptance, we rise and fall gracefully.
Third Movement: Appreciation
Flowers fold and leaves fly, the weather turns cold and the people, warm.
The world is the canvas for every season with fall particularly known for her warm shades and earthy tones. As the heat from the summer subsides and my limbs feel colder, her passionate palette warms my heart and soul. I’ve come to love this season not just for her art, but her nourishment too.
The concoction of hot pepper soups, spiced drinks and desserts, and Thanksgiving celebrations winding down towards the end of the year makes this season especially endearing and nourishing to me at all levels—mind, heart, body, and soul.
As the weather gets colder, outdoor activities are reduced, and my tendency to curl up indoors and get cozy on my couch with a book (to read or write) increases. Despite the daylight hours getting shorter, time seems to pass slower without the hustle and bustle.
Fall carries an air of ease and peace, and as I slow down and become more present with what’s within and without, my heart opens to a mood of appreciation and connection; my mind, rumination.
Fall—the perfect season to fall back into yourself.
Rosslyn is a poet and a developmental coach who creates and holds space for repose, healing, and transformation through her words and being.
Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash