Fall Approaching (With Questions)

Earlier today, I figured I would write this post to tell you about the productive morning I had at the studio, or my brainstorming conversation with Laura. Or perhaps I would tell you about my always amazing voice lesson with Barbara. However, since this afternoon, my mind has been changed...

I have just returned from an early evening walk about my neighborhood, taking in the sights and smells of the approaching fall. There are cherry-red leaved speckled in with still vibrant green ones. There are brown, dead leaves trickled all over the street. And the branches of some trees are beginning to already look bear. I wonder how much of that can be contributed to the heat we've had this summer, or to the changing of the season. Though the weather is still warm, the evenings are beginning to cool. The days have begun to shorten. Soon, it will be dark by dinner time. Soon, it will be time to don our jackets. And what's more, I think I'm ready. Pumpkin cheesecake is in the case at the coffee shop. And the summer fruits are beginning to look less vivid, and become less abundant as farmers ship the last of their sunny season crop to market. Soon, it will be time for the crunch of apples dipped in peanut butter. No longer time for the pungent juice of peaches to run down our chins. I bought squash the other day, and think of all the wonderful, soul warming dishes I can make with fall fodder. If summer tastes light and airy, fall tastes like the earth. Dirt. Beautiful, rich, sustaining dirt. There is spice to be had and immense comfort. I long for the blankets, for cozy toes and the anticipation of winter, where we go inside, literally and figuratively. I enjoy the process of watching the flora and fauna in decline. The animals readying themselves for sleep or departure, grass going dormant, sap flowing from pine trees. It seems that only us humans try to continue as usual, as it is our way to live out of sync with the rest of creation. This year though, more than ever, I feel in tune with the cycling of nature, as I am in transition. This year marks many new experiences and many new directions in my life. Summer was a flourish of activity, love and colorful excitement. This fall, I'm settling in for the new routine. There is brewing to be had, and cultivating my creative harvest. This winter should hold some quiet time for me, with rest for the spring, which already looks incredibly busy. Emergence. New projects. New experiences. My birthday, which will mark the beginning for me, of another year on this planet. It feels good to grow and change as the earth grows and changes around me.

Have you taken any time to see and smell the changing season? Are you attuned to the cycle of creation, or are you in opposition to it? Are you growing and changing in some area of your life, or are you stagnant? What are you looking forward to? Have you made a space for yourself lately, to think and reflect?

~Cara