Coming Home to Fall

Steamboat Springs, CO 

I was born in the fall.
I gave birth to my own children in the fall.
Maybe this is why the crisp autumn air stills my heart.  It feels like coming home... as if the exciting adventures and activity of summer slowly loosen their grip and I can once again inhale fully.

The leaves changing color are the first noticeable sign.  I actually feel a stirring inside.  If I close my eyes and breathe, I can smell the Colorado mountain's aspen groves mingled with fresh pine.  I know the familiar slight spring beneath my feet of fallen leaves and needles.

I am home.

It's interesting to remember that the colors we see in fall leaves are always present.  During the spring and summer months, the leaves are a whirlwind of activity and productivity as they make food for the tree's growth.  The sun provides ample daylight for the green chlorophyl to dominate the pallet.

When the hours of daylight shorten as fall approaches, the leaves begin to "rest".  They slow their food production and the other colors (which were there all along) step into the spotlight.  It's a refreshing, beautiful change.

So it is with my heart.  The winding down of summer is always a welcome change.  I feel completely content as I prepare to settle into brisk evenings by the fire pit with family and close friends.  I look forward to reuniting with my favorite blue jeans, woolen socks, and a glass of Malbec.

I laugh, I sing, I create, and I love.

Just like the vibrant colors in the fall leaves, I shine my truest hue in autumn.

My watercolor painting of frost-kissed fall leaves