Change is in the Air

Change is definitely in the air. I noticed it a couple of nights ago, when I was taking the dog out. There was the still quiet and the brisk coolness (dare I say "cold"?) that accompanies the coming of winter. I thought back through the day, as the dog ran through the yard. Driving to school - my turn in the carpool - the trees were shedding their leaves with the assistance of the wind. I felt like a kid running under the petals that fall off of the douglas pears in the spring. The leaves created a brilliant, sparkling sort of curtain as they fell - and I drove right through... laughing.

It was a beautiful day - blue blue sky, and the trees ablaze with the peak of their color. "What color tree is your favorite, Mommy?" my son asked. "I like the trees that are 'all colorful' ", I replied. He asked what I meant by that. "All colorful" is one of our family phrases - which basically means "multicolored". I told him I liked the trees that had red, orange, yellow AND green in them, and we set out on a search for one just like that on the ride home. There were several!

Now, a few days later, the sky is still blue, but many of the leaves have fallen, so the color is now on the ground. The air is cooler, and frost greets us in the mornings. This morning, I elected to wear "shoes" rather than flip-flops.

More often than not, when we are home, there is a fire in the fireplace. Candles are burning again, so the house smells like cinnamon and pumpkin. Another few weeks, and I'll trade the pumpkin for true winter scents like mistletoe and cedar.

The calendar says we have another 6 weeks before winter arrives - and I'm OK with that. I'm just aware that change is in the air. And that is good for me. Being aware of transitions helps me to not feel ambushed by the sudden arrival of what's next. It means I'm paying attention.

It is a truly spectacular time of year. The gathering of the abundant harvest, preparing for the quiet time of rest.