School starts August 31st. That’s next Wednesday. Today’s post was going to be about how it’s a man’s world and all the different things that speak to the patriarchal society we live in, but then I took my boys to school. Today is the day they pick up their class schedules, pay sports fees, and have class pictures taken.
As we drove to the school, my boys chattered excitedly in the back of the car. They talked about teachers at the school and wondered who they were going to get, and would Aidan get into the high academy (translation: upper level math) for math class this year. This is Ahren’s first year in middle school so he’s a little nervous about having different teachers for different classes, having to change classrooms, and super excited about having a locker. We saw orchard workers heading to the next job, straddle carriers filled with apples, people pushing babies in strollers, dog-walkers, the occasional jogger, and of course, parents and children filled the school parking lot. The kids all excited and bouncing around their parents, dressed for school photos, and pulling on their mom’s hand when she wasn’t walking quite fast enough to suit them.
It struck me that this is what I wanted to share with you: the energy of autumn.
Oh sure, seasons change every couple of months, but for me the transition from summer into fall has always been my favorite. The light is harsher, the shadows are sharper, the air is crisper and there’s an undercurrent of energy. I feel the urge to nest, to clean and clear out my home because I know soon the snow will come and we’ll be spending most of our time inside. To me this time of transition feels like I’ve made it through the hustle and bustle of summer, through the business of trying to spend every moment I can with my children and make the summer enjoyable and memorable for them while working full time, and now finally things will go back to routine. Back to school, and sports, and trying to take advantage of every beautiful day and evening before the weather becomes too harsh to be outside.
I love the fashion of fall – the sweaters and boots and leggings. I love the food of fall – the soups and squashes. I love fall mums and asters and the colors of the trees. I love the way the sunshines and creates sharper shadows. I love it so much I wrote about fall in my (hopefully) soon to be published novel, The Between. My protagonist, Alex, is meeting with her counselor, Michael, and discussing one of the ways she “knows” things.
“Have you noticed how Autumn shadows are different than any other? They’re so distinct, so crisp and clear. Summer shadows are faded and fuzzy, the light is too strong everywhere to really give good lines. Winter shadows are barely there, hardly enough light to give them life. Spring shadows are just coming out, tentatively checking, making brief appearances, never lingering. But Autumn shadows… Autumn shadows are ready to be seen.”
“They make the shapes that cut sharply against that which they are placed. Distinct lines and shapes of shade. Shapes of things caught between the light and shadow. The shadows not only press into the fabric of what they lay against, but pull the color from it. I see it in the trees – fiery leaves on the limbs, but dark shadows making patterns on a building. Soon they’ll surrender and fall with the wind. I see it in the limbs after the leaves, the stark, naked lines projecting an often unseen and seemingly senseless net across a paved road. I see it in the slanted shadow of a fence post, rippled and punctuated by grass moving with the breeze. I see all this. It’s nature trying to help us, guide us, steer us.”
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Michael shifts in his chair, I think he’s more intrigued as his initial surprise subsides.
Sitting up I look at him. “I believe it is this ability that allows Nature to see both sides of us. To see the good and the bad, and all the million shades of grey that exists in between. To see us for who we are, what we want, and where we ‘should’ go.”
There’s an energy to fall that doesn’t exist at any other time. It’s my vibe and this week I invite you all to share it with me. Be aware of the crispness of the air, the cozy foods, the warm sunlight and how it cuts shadows a little cleaner. Mostly I invite you to feel the energy of fall. Stop a moment and close your eyes, quiet your mind and feel that undercurrent of energy and let it fill you. To me it feels like a subtle energy designed to help us regroup and recharge, and emerge new again when it’s time. Can you feel it too?
My thoughts are my own, but my pictures are generally found on Pinterest (you can find anything there!). If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale), Instagram (write2unpack), or Twitter (@write2unpack). Oh, hey, and if you sign up here to follow me you’ll never miss a post!
