Day Eight

The morning air was heavy with autumn; crisp and cool, like the apple cider in the cup beside her keyboard. Outside, birds sang as they dined on the sunflower seeds in the bird feeders kept fully stocked by her husband. She loved this time of year. Most people she knew saw autumn as the death of summer, but she saw it as the beginning. The leaves falling off did not symbolize an ending to her, but rather the start of a new cycle. The trees would sleep for a time, and then buds would appear, and soon new leaves, bright with the hope of another spring. The leaves that fell to the ground carried with them unrecognized dreams and sorrow... and left behind a blank slate, for starting anew.

Yes, she saw autumn as a renaissance of sorts... a rebirth of imagination. Perhaps it came from the blank pages of notebooks bought for a new school year. Perhaps it stemmed from a childhood that involved a lot of moving, and a lot of starting fresh at a different school. For whatever reason, she just could not be sad when autumn finally slipped in at summer's end. To her, it was a time of celebration.

The first sight of pumpkins at the store made her smile, as it had when she was a child. The cup of cider she now sipped warmed her spirits, even when served cold. Few things made her happier than the day back-to-school supplies appeared in seasonal aisles at stores, and when those faded to Halloween displays, she dreamed of what she'd dress as - even when she didn't actually plan to wear a costume.

 She bit into a pumpkin spice donut, and glanced outside. The sky was bright and blue, and off in the distance, Mount Logan wore a new blanket of white. Winter would arrive soon in Colorado. The last official day of summer had marked the first measurable snowfall of the season. She wouldn't think of winter now, though. Not while the trees still whispered of autumn... not before the end of October, when the Halloween displays turned to Christmas ones. No, for now she would revel in the golden glory that was autumn. She swallowed her last sip of cider, and took the last bite of her donut. It was time to start the day... and already it had such a lovely beginning.