October has been exceptional here this year. It has been as if the force of nature is a siren, singing our names to come outside and marvel with such force one cannot resist. Fairly seasonal temperatures. Days overcast with rain; days of brilliant blue and buoyant white. Even the moon hung low and full last week, enjoying the view from space as we looked up and felt so small but also part of a much greater whole beyond words.
I can't find any data to support my hypothesis, but I swear the colors of autumn are deeper and richer this year. Even the trees seem to know it themselves and have been clinging to their offerings until the very last moment, allowing layers of yellow, orange, and red to paint the most amazing collage. As a result, I didn't even mind it yesterday when a passing front brought light rain and gusty winds, because I drove around town on errands enveloped in swirls of color.
Life has slowed a bit as my older daughter submits the first applications for college admission and my husband completes a very long run of teaching and grading at the university. We have been given some space to breath, and I can physically feel the reprieve even as I breathe in the brisk autumn air, almost breathe in the beauty itself, as we finally have time to walk together. My only wish is to somehow hold onto this feeling of awe and gratitude and hope.
However, no words or photos or video or blog post can record October appropriately for it is too complex and multidimensional. Perhaps, the most we can hold onto is the knowledge that to live life in the present, no matter the demands of a full life and our attempts to refurbish its edges, may be the wisest and precious of all endeavors. So, a shout of welcome to November. May I appreciate your days as October taught me.
