Glorious Fall

This is my favorite season . . . Autumn. The valley has exploded in technicolor reds, golds, bronzes and browns, the trees are truly putting on a fantastic show this season.

I was struck by something I saw driving up the street to my parents home just thirty minutes ago. My parent's neighbor of over three decades who lives on the corner was out raking leaves in his front yard. Typical scene, yes? Not when he's 94 years old and still does all his yardwork. This dear man lost his wife over ten years ago after her disheartening battle with Alzheimer's. Every season you see him quietly and consistently doing his own chores. Trimming the english roses by hand in summer, raking the leaves in fall, there is something enormously comforting about seeing him consistently. There is dignity and propriety silently being displayed with every motion.

Just yesterday I was watching a man in our neighborhood, in his mid-thirties, drinking a red bull while using a leaf blower to blow the leaves into the street (and onto my clean car in the process) and off of his property. That scene is often repeated everywhere I turn. Noisy, gas inefficient leaf blowers being used by people capable of doing manual labor. I even saw a leaf blower that sucked up the leaves into one tube and shot them ten feet away as mulch out of another tube. What a disgraceful ending to a beautiful autumn requiem.


Have we lost something as a society? In our pursuit for efficiency, speed, and instant gratification, have we permanently forsaken a part of our humanity? Do we worship laziness?Why speed? Why right now? Autumn is nature's grand finale before a blanket of snow falls and she sleeps for a season. If we could only celebrate the surrounds we are given, the piles of leaves to quietly rake and allow our children to play with to heart's content. Autumn has always been a reminder for me to slow down.

94 years old, and he still rakes piles of leaves every year. Bent from age, but a face full of lines from years of smiles, kindness and consistent work. He is my autumn reminder to slow down express gratitude.


We found a home (hooray!), and we are currently in the process of moving everything in. The movers brought our possessions last week, but due to my high-risk pregnancy and various challenges it poses, I can do very little but will things into place. I have yet to learn telekinesis, so this effort is futile. I was in the middle of a speeded thought about house work when I saw my parent's neighbor. What a lovely image that has penetrated my heart. I have so much to be grateful for. When my mind stalls on the forthcoming challenges of caring for newborn twins plus Alex while being a single military wife (which it often does), I now have a quieting reminder within my mind to slow down, and relish simple happiness.