Monday, September 30, 2013

Fall Ponderings and Your Monday Fortune Cookie, 9/30/13

YOUR ABILITY FOR ACCOMPLISHMENT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY SUCCESS.

SNARKY RESPONSE: Of course. It'd be ridiculous to say that one's ability for success will be followed by accomplishment. No, wait! That makes sense too? Today's fortune is a kind of palindrome. Who knew?

Your ability for accomplishment will be followed by success.

I was going to write about something else, hopefully something inspiring and worthy of a fortune about "accomplishment" and "success," but as I sit here at my desk, with my window open, I'm thinking about fall.

Sure, I can still hear frogs inviting someone, anyone, over for a drink and a roll on their lily pad, but soon the temps will drive every self-respecting amphibian into hibernation. Alone. Solitary confinement until spring when they'll emerge and begin their chorus all over again. Unless they don't survive the plummeting temps, in which case it's the next generation who will take up the tune.

Anyway, potential death in the marsh notwithstanding, fall is definitely beginning that downward spiral to winter.

Temps are falling,
Sap is receding,
Leaves are falling,
Daylight hours are dwindling. Everything is headed down.
Despite the holiday heyday,
Life is heading toward
Winter's full stop.

Despite the fatalistic vibe, I still find this my favorite season. The crisp Fall air, such a relief after the smothering humidity of Summer. The shifting of the greens of Summer to the glorious reds, golds, and yellows of Fall.

Summer's indolence rolls over and applies itself to harvesting and nesting. Meals cooked outside over an open flame, billowing smoke into a summer's day, shift to crock pots and stew pots and spice-laden air wafting through the house.

I'm pulling out sweaters, polishing boots, anticipating sleeves in all their lengths and weights. Summer whites, tropical brights, and cool pastels are packed away or pushed to the back of the closet to make room for fall and winter tones, earthy, jeweled, and spiced.

How do you anticipate Fall? Do you spend it mourning Summer's passing? Do you count it only as the approach of Winter?

No comments:

Post a Comment