Fall

“I wish I could live somewhere where it’s fall all the time.”

I laughed when I heard someone say that for several reasons.  First, I laughed because I felt the same way.   There’s something quite spectacular about the fall season. More on that later.  But I also laughed because I knew it just isn’t possible to have fall year-round. And I laughed because I feel it would probably be rather unpleasant to live in a state of change all the time.

Fall is a season of transition; it indicates the passing from summer to winter.  In fact, I picture the fall as an epic battle between summer and winter. Too bad the blows they deliver hit Earth rather than each other. This battle is really the only way I have of explaining the back and forth between warm (ish) and cold (ish), sunshine and rain, windy and calm days.

In the end, winter always wins.  And then sticks around for far too long.  

But I digress.

Honestly, I have no idea how any place in the world could ever stay in a state of transition and be fall year-round. Everyone knows that change is good, but can you imagine living in a state of change all the time?  Having experienced many changes in the last few years, I can tell you that it is exhausting and I’m still recovering.  

And how would perpetual fall work, anyway? Leaves can really only fall once; is someone going to hit a master rewind button so that the leaves can be re-attached, only to fall again? Or maybe a fast-forward button so that the leaves grow back super fast, change colour and fall off in the span of a few months?

But wouldn’t that speed up our lives, too?

Then there’s the issue of fashion.  Nobody knows how to dress properly for fall because nobody really knows what to expect. Sure, the weather people try, but really. The best they can do is make an educated guess.  And some days I seriously feel like I’m five and just figuring out how to dress all over again. I feel like I’m carrying around half my wardrobe someday because I want to make sure I’m warm.

As such, I’m more likely to be hot. 

Still, I love fall for a number of different reasons. 

I love big sweaters, hot beverages, scarves and warm socks.

I love being able to run mid-day without feeling that I’m about to be fried by the sun on the sidewalk.

I love pumpkin anything.

I love the colours of the leaves.  Up until this year, I loved reds the most, maybe because they don’t tend to be as common.  But there was one street I found myself walking on this year that was lit up with brilliant, stunning yellows.

I love fleece, flannel and plaid.

You know, the rain’s kind of fun, too. When it doesn’t feel like someone’s dumping a colossal bucket on me, that is... 

I love the crunch of leaves beneath my feet and will purposely walk in them.  And every time I walk by a newly-raked pile of leaves, I have to resist the urge to jump in and mess it up.

I love the time change. I think I actually used that extra hour wisely for once in my life; I slept it away …

In short, fall is fantastic! It always amazes me that there can be such beauty in a time of transition.

And I do wish it could stick around longer.