Autumn: Not Dying but Celebrating

I’ve always loved Autumn as a season (although as a child it meant back to school) but I often wondered why, as it was seen as the time when things died back ready for winter. The leaves fall, things turned to brown, the nights drew in and some days it just never seemed to get light. But then during a counselling session I was talking about colour and Autumn, and remembered really what Autumn is about. It’s not about dying, it’s about putting your best clothes on and celebrating life, and that's what I love.

The colours are so much brighter in Autumn: trees that are usually green turn to burnished copper or to golds and reds, like the brightest fires. The earth that may have been pungent with Spring and Summer’s blooms becomes more rich smelling, so spicy, with the leaves, as they fall to the ground, in gentle mounds, sitting waiting for fun. And the smell of bonfires… with the tang in the air of fireworks, hot tomato soup and frying onions. Of course some bushes choose Autumn for their display of berries, ruby red, with spiders’ webs taking on the look of diamond necklaces left carelessly on the hedgerow for those who look to see. And the white hairs of old man’s beard plants billowing in the winds, like elven washing lines of silk. Yes, Autumn brings storms and rain, but its Sun feels so much warmer than Spring's which feels brash by comparison. Winter may be just around the corner but Autumn wears all its finery to celebrate: no sleepwalking into Winter, it holds its head up high.

There is nothing like kicking up the leaves in Autumn, as it says come play with me just one more time before the dark days, and the ruby faces of children and child-spirited people say it all on an Autumn day. As part of my therapy, my counsellor sent me out to photo an Autumn day and these are some of the photos I took. It surprised me to still find flowers, but it just shows how we look but don’t see.

After that session and the pleasure that it rekindled in me, as I thought of the autumnal walks I had had with my Grandad (a great influence in my life), I started to introduce colour and texture into my clothes, still some black as a base, but with autumnal colours or rich berry purples to reflect this side of me, and I started to celebrate a bit more and use my camera a bit more to record life rather than let times pass me by as much. So no wearing things only for best, as best can be every day for me. And all this just from Autumn…? Perhaps it’s because I was an Autumn baby, born one Bonfire Night, a few moons ago ;)

xx

PS thanks to dc for her blog on kicking up leaves for giving me food for thought :) xx