We had finished lunch at The Expanding Light Retreat and were headed back to the Temple of Light parking lot when this magnificent tree stopped me in my tracks. It was just too beautiful to pass by.
Isn’t autumn wonderful?!?
A truly magnificent tree
Seasonal changes
It’s subtle, but for about the past week I’ve been aware of that infinitesimal yet distinct shift that announces the imminent arrival of autumn.
It’s the slightly cooler air, the slightly shorter days, the slight difference in the angle and intensity of the sunshine.
And I find myself remembering the back-to-school excitement of elementary and junior high school. Those were the days when we got new school clothes — practical and warm outfits made of wool, which were brutal to wear when the usual California heatwave arrived in early to mid-September.
I loved school, so I was usually ready for summer to end. I loved the colors of the foliage and the windy days of fall.
I love all these things still, although nowadays I get anxious about increased wildfire risk when the fall weather gets windy.
Accepting change
Today I witnessed a friend realizing and graciously accepting a previously unsuspected limitation.
And it got me reflecting — certainly not for the first time — on the bittersweet quality of the autumn season.
Of fully embracing the beauty inherent in the transition. Of being grateful for the abundance and bounty we have enjoyed, even as we accept its unavoidable passing.
Trees, bodies, loved ones. They all change and eventually pass. My prayer is to learn to accept the changes as graciously as did my friend.
Remembering this time last year
I’ve been re-reading blog posts from a year ago and can hardly believe it was me who was going through all that last year.
One thing I’m hyper-aware of is being able to once again fully experience autumn.
We were super grateful for our time in Sacramento, but the fall there really can’t compare with Ananda Village. Not to mention how distracted we were!
Now I’m happy to be here for the duration.
Autumn’s golden glory
I appreciate autumn leaves of all types and colors, but I do believe what I love the most is when the oak leaves turn golden.
Because oak trees predominate in the area where we live, I start to feel like I’m living in a beautiful golden dream.
These photographs are taken from the parking area of our home. I just had to try and capture the beauty before I headed out to run errands.
Missing autumn
Somehow I’m not really getting the sense of autumn that I’m accustomed to feeling.
We get quite a bit of fall foliage at the Village and not being there makes me feel like I’m missing the season.
Which isn’t really true, as we’ll be back before the end of October, but that’s where I’m at in this moment.
The magic of autumn light
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
–Albert Camus
It’s been quite a while since we had rain, and it feels like we’re getting to admire the autumn foliage for much longer than usual. Now, I’m no scientist or botanist, and I know next to nothing about photosynthesis or chlorophyll. Which means I get to make up my own story about fall foliage and what it means (to me, at least). 🙂
It seems to me that the leaves absorb light throughout the spring and summer, then start losing it as they gradually diminish in the early fall and begin changing colors. But as the season continues, with the days growing shorter and winter drawing near, it’s as if nature gives us one last show…a final display of vibrant light and a sense of warmth. I’m sure you’ve experienced it: when you’re walking or driving along and you suddenly see a burst of light through the trees…and you realize it’s the fall foliage, glowing as if lit from within.
Sometimes I have to just stop and marvel at the incredible light emanating from the trees here at Ananda Village. They are so very, very beautiful! And I like the idea of each leaf going out in a burst of glory, as the spirit of the tree quietly turns within and prepares to enter the stillness of winter.
Autumn beauty
I can’t stop myself from trying to capture the beauty of fall foliage, although I end up deleting most of the photos I take.
I’m no photographer, for starters; just someone snapping pics on my smartphone. But more to the point: how does one capture the essence of beauty? I find it’s more a matter of what I feel when I gaze at the foliage, than what I’m seeing.
What I feel is the urge to be those amazing colors, against the intense blue sky…the very essence of autumn, to me at least.
These last two photos are of the sight that greeted me when I stepped out of my car at work today. Except it was a hundred times more vivid in real life.
I guess the urge that I feel to be the colors, the leaves, the sky is a sort of reminder, from the part of me that remembers what it was to be one with all that is…and can’t wait to get back back there.
Autumn thoughts
After the last few years of disastrous fire seasons, I’m grateful for the arrival of lower temperatures and rain, even before the end of September.
At the same time I’m also a little sad to see such a definite seasonal shift so early in the fall. As a native Californian I’m accustomed to more gradual changes and being able to wear my sandals and light sweaters almost until Thanksgiving, even here in the foothills.
One thing I always enjoy at this time of year is my renewed appreciation for the warmth of the sun. I mean, one can start to resent it in the heat of July and August, but there’s nothing quite like sitting in sunny sheltered spot on a chilly autumn day to remind us of what a blessing it is! Definitely one of life’s simple pleasures.