Changing of the Seasons (Entry 5)

 As I step outside into my backyard, I am immediately confronted with the first traces of the yearly blend of oranges, yellows, and reds among the leaves above my head. This beautiful new arrangement of color is just one facet of the annual metamorphoses that meet my eyes throughout the spring and summer, but it has always been the one that is most eye-catching for me. I know that these leaves will soon fall and scatter across the yard, so I listen to the sounds of the squirrels and birds while they still feel free to roam under the cover of foliage. 

Along with the changes in the trees, I also notice that the air surrounding me becomes more refreshing than it had been for the past several months. Rather than blowing the warmth of life into the world as spring and summer do, the winds of the autumn begin to give us hints about the coldness and death in the world that is to come.

Each time I notice these changes take place, I look on in admiration of the new variety found in color rather than in life, and I am welcomed to look back at the falls of my youth. I clearly remember the glow of the ground in my parent's yard as leaves began to fall and throwing the football in that yard with my friends, as well as the autumnal decorations such as cornucopia, pumpkins, and turkeys that tried their best to camouflage within the immense beauty of the outside world. This season is traditionally one of joy, community, and friendship in America, especially later on in the season around Thanksgiving, and it is not surprising that these traits and feelings are evoked in such a beautiful time of year. Sitting outside during the falling leaves and temperatures in autumn provides an inner warmth that cannot be mimicked by any other season, and it is seemingly natural for us to want to share that warmth with others. 

Still, these changes are also a slightly unsettling reminder of the nature of life around us: every leaf will one day fall, just as every living being will one day die. Although this is a daunting outlook at first due to the sheer morbidity of the thought, the rejuvenation of the natural world after such deaths is what allows for the beauty that we attribute to nature so regularly. To ensure that we have the most beautiful trees and the most vibrant human communities, death must occur so as to make room for the beauty that will replace it. For that reason and for that reason alone, I embrace the mortal nature of the world around me and am content with observing its wonders until the world is ready to replace me.