Autumn

As I drove home tonight from soccer practice, the full moon was rising. Beautiful.

Bittersweet thoughts of the last day of summer swirled around like the wispy clouds flitting across the moon. Summer passes much too quickly for my liking. I often find myself mourning the loss of carefree days, late nights, and visits to the ocean.

The first day of autumn is tomorrow.

I love living in a part of the United States which has four very distinct seasons.

New Englanders love to argue about which season is the best; we all have our favorite one and the stubborn streak to defend our choice along with it.

Although summer is my favorite, I love them all. Okay, maybe love is too strong of a word to describe how I feel about winter, but I do appreciate its beauty.

Autumn is a favorite of many people living here. Travelers from all over the country visit New England for the beautiful fall foliage which decorates our mountains, forests, and neighborhoods. And though I too love the warm days and cool nights, there's usually a "yeah but" that nags at my brain. Autumn is beautiful... yeah but it leads into the endless, bleak winter.

This year I plan to treasure each day of fall. I don't always appreciate the crisp autumn days with its blue sky and the brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows that decorate each tree because I'm thinking of next week, next month the next season. "Oh, the trees are pretty, but I'm dreading winter." Now how fair is that? What did autumn ever do to me? After all, my birthday is in the fall.

So this year I'm all about autumn love. No whining! Sounds simple and yet I always seem to get caught up in the negative - ugh, the days are shorter, the wind chill blows right through me, more leaves to rake! This year I'm treating each day as a gift and appreciating all it has to offer, trying to avoid worrying about a future I can't control.