Take a still moment for yourself.
It is possible to see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour, as William Blake suggests. We can invert the vast and concentrate on the small, though it takes effort to do so in this noisy world.
It becomes easier as days shorten and the sun’s rays fall lower on the horizon: autumn in the garden is a quieter time, the time when small things come to the foreground.
There are extraordinary events taking place in your own garden right this minute. The spider’s web drips with early morning dew and awaits the stumbling flight of an insect losing body heat as the days turn chilly. Chlorophyll no longer holds center stage in the chromatic scale. Where buds once formed, now there are acorns.
We expect permutations of orange, rust and maroon, veils of gold and brown in the garden in autumn. But then we come across a shock of violet, where golden-eyed asters bright as errant amethysts bob on the cooling breeze. Even more surprising is the shy and delicate pink of autumn crocus where it keeps company with brown mushrooms and fallen leaves at the base of a sturdy tree.
All is not quiet, however. The squirrel with the fat cheeks will screech the minute she stashes her hazel nuts, and the gathering crows will sound warnings to all birds preparing to migrate: the way is south and the time is now.
To paraphrase Blake, what immortal hand or eye could frame such a world as what we see before us? Hold this question in awareness as you go through your day, and hold it despite all the mounting evidence in our raucous, consumerist world that to do so is to indulge in a flight of fancy. Then, as the gentle rays of the afternoon sun fade, remember that night will come, and it will blanket you with stars that seem particularly brilliant at this time of year.
Autumn is a time of turning inward, a time of forgiveness, a time to let go of all past efforts. It presents an opportunity to rest, just the way the garden rests, before new undertakings which are soon to come at the turn of another year. So hunker down: take care of yourself and all you hold dear. Breathe in the deep calm of the season.
Relax as you exhale.
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i use a combo of shea butter and aloe vera moisturizer. Works great. I use shea butter on my lips, around my eyes and nose (dry areas), My father swears by vasoline.
p.s. I dropped your name on Gina's post, Barb. ;)
This was beautiful. Thank you.
You’re welcome, sunmoonie. I’m glad it touched your heart.
Thank you for putting Autumn into such an elegant way. It is a slower time, which makes it all so nice!
Thank you for your kind words.
Autumn has always been my favorite season. I love the colors, the smells, the sounds; I love everything about Autumn. I was born in November and my birthday sometimes falls on Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday. At almost 54 years of age, I feel as if I’m in the Autumn of my life and I’m loving every minute of it!
Pgevans, my daughter was born on Thanksgiving Day and shares your delight (and mine!).
love it
thank you!
What a beautiful way to describe autumn! Sweater weather! My favroite time of year! The gathering time, family, friends, food! For me life just seems more cozy..
Thank you for putting us in the fall mood!
I love cozy, too. Cider. Crunchy leaves. It’s all good. Even the dog seems to like autumn. Have you noticed that?
Thanks for this post. I always feel very sad in the autumn as I watch my perennials die to the ground.
I’ll re-read your post when I’m feeling blue about the winding down of the gardening season.
Karen
http://www.the-next-stage.com/
How lovely. I enjoyed remembering the autumns in Colorado. The glorious colors. I really miss that in the southwest. Thank you for jogging the dust from my memories.