A New Experience of Fall in the Low Country
Fallen Leaves in our backyard
As October began, I realized how much I missed the colorful leaves of trees in the Midwest this time of year. I missed taking drives only to see the warm colors on the trees in the distance against a clear, blue sky. With all of the wonderful attributes of Charleston, South Carolina; the warm fall colors of the trees in the fall are not one of them.
One day while on a walk in our neighborhood, I looked up at the trees lining the street searching for red and orange leaves, but the only color leaves I saw were green. This was not giving me the fall vibes I needed. Normally, seeing the changing colors prompts the ushering of fall, as I know it. Instead of being mad that this season was full of 80-degree days and greenery around me, I committed to having cider to sip, pumpkins to display, and cooking delicious soups to keep me warm…or warmer.
Fall is my favorite season. I've written about it enough for everyone to know. I love dressing in my black turtleneck and puffy vests in every color. I love the weekends watching football games and keeping warm by a fireplace. I love taking walks and smelling the fallen leaves from the trees. When I experienced fall in these ways, it confirmed a change in season was happening. Yet, I saw no evidence of Fall in early October this year.
When it comes to change, all life forms do it. There are so many ways we change. Sometimes change is not obvious because we expect it to look a certain way.
Weeks later, I sipped my morning cup of coffee while looking out at our backyard. I zeroed in on a ton of leaves on the ground surrounding a moss-covered tree. That was odd. I didn’t notice the leaves were changing or falling, yet they did. I was so busy looking up at the trees that I missed the evidence of fallen leaves on the ground. Autumn was happening. Change was taking place.
We can change by shedding old habits like having a sedentary lifestyle, releasing grudges we don’t remember the source of, or letting go of prejudices and hatred toward groups of people by spending time with those different from us. When we allow the shedding of what no longer serves us, we may be unrecognizable. It may be hard to adjust to change because it does not look like what we expect. But we can learn to acclimate to the change as it comes.
So instead of being negative about what fall is or is not based on my ingrained experience, I am grateful to experience my favorite season in a new way. It may not be as colorful as I want but, it is beautiful nonetheless.
