Today the heavy clouds and brisk temperatures make me feel as though I’m inside of a Thomas Kinkade painting. Tree leaves are still secured, but they show the tell tale signs of autumn’s approach.
This is a time when I’m supposed to be concerned about politics, national interests and change. I am interested in change, though it’s much more personal in nature. I don’t know what the political climate will be in one month, two months time. I don’t even know what I’ll have for dinner tomorrow. I do know that I personally have a lot in common with the changing autumn leaves. When the weather gets cooler they stop producing food, and the chlorophyll inside them breaks down, making their natural colors more visible. I too feel more like “myself” during this time of year. I’m less rushed, more creative. I feel more alert. And for these reasons I feel more beautiful. Like the fall leaves.
Native American legend holds that spirit hunters in the sky killed the Great Bear, or what most people know as the Ursa Major constellation. When the bear’s blood fell from the skies, it dripped down onto the trees, coating the leaves with a crimson hue. A very vivid, poetic description for the changes we see around us late in the year.
Whether they be political, spiritual or emotional, it’s the only way to move forward.
