There are some seasons of life that give us at least 10,000 reasons to celebrate.
No matter what circumstances you find yourself living through; the beginning of the fall season just makes things easier and better.
This always happens even when you don’t expect it.
The joy of Fall has a way of sneaking up on you and hugging you hard.
I’ll bet; without even trying we could easily think of 10,000 ways to enjoy this beautiful time of the year.
Okay……
Let’s do!
THE FIRST TWELVE OF THE BEST WAYS TO ENJOY FALL
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of the Fall season is lots of colorful poetry from words that have been wrapped very nicely around some visions of many local, scenic landscapes.
So my camera and I go out and make poetry together.
I tend to remember Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt’s words: “It is the summer’s great last heat, it is the fall’s first chill: They meet.”
As I survey the fall’s “meet-cute” scenery which God has miraculously placed before me; I remember old James Witcomb Riley and consider that “the frost is on the pumpkin.”
I think of Robert Frost and wonder; “Whose woods are these? I think I know. His house is in the village though.”
Whenever I get this poetic; I know that Fall has arrived and settled in to stay for just a while.
Fall brings out the poet in all of us.
ONE
However; there are many things that this season brings out in us; let’s consider just a few more:
1) As I’ve already mentioned; the very first way to enjoy the lovely season of Fall is to thoughtfully re-read some old favorite poems while you sit on the porch and watch those colorful leaves falling down.
You do need to look up from the beautiful words for long periods of time as you are pondering those great lines. Always take time-outs and long pauses. View the leaves as you turn the pages.
The poetry will sink into the spirit of the visually beautiful backdrop of the landscape surrounding you. Quite possibly, you will manage to drink in more of fall than you ever imagined.
What are your favorite poems of fall?
Have you written some poetry of your own?
Perhaps you will be inspired today.
This seems to be a lost art; so let’s revive the practice. Let’s teach a few of our favorite verses to our children and our grandchildren. They can listen and learn as we rake the leaves and pick out our the best of the pumpkins of this season.
Isn’t that how we learned?
TWO
2) The second thing that comes to mind is to enjoy a joyfilled expression of gratitude for such a lovely season.
We could all take a lesson from the season of Fall as she is always busy sorting out the old from the new in a very lovely and gentle way.
Notice I perceive that the characteristics of Fall are in the form of the feminine; simply because a man would never dress as flashy as she does. Nor would a male make such a grand entrance and appear completely by surprise.
One day you look up, and Fall is just standing before you in all of her loveliness.
Yes; I think Fall is definitely a lady; and she brings us to a place of gracefulness and gratitude.
There are so many ways to practice being grateful in this time of the year. It is natural that we approach a season of Thanksgiving. What could be better than that?
Therefore; Fall Practice number two is to make a list of all of your blessings and offer up a prayer of thanks to God.
This year I’m thanking God for the amazing gift of life itself.
As I’m drinking in the beauty of the changing landscapes; I’m offering up thanks for every breath taken in the crisp, cool air.
We get to experience these moments of gratitude every year just before winter comes and shuts us inside for a few months. The moments in between are precious and valuable to our souls.
I’m grateful for all the “life” contained and hidden in the mysterious season of Fall. This is both deceptive and illusive in that it looks like things are dying. Actually the earth is being nourished for further life in the coming seasons.
Only God could have made this process which is so breathtaking and lovely called it “Fall.”
THREE
3) The third thing for celebrating the change to Fall is to get outside and take a long walk or a hike in a beautiful wooded area.
This is an absolute MUST for everyone, every single year, without exception.
Find the time and make a way before the days are gone.
Don’t miss seeing the fall landscape that is unfolding.
All of our national parks are wonderful for this fall adventure. Maybe you even know a quiet place out in the country where you can wonder freely through the woods. Go and just observe the beauty and the bounty that God sends down from heaven every fall season.
It would be okay to collect leaves and acorns and pine cones as you walk. Later you can make that fall centerpiece that you have visualized for your dining room table.
Also; it would be fine to take along man’s best friend. Let your dog stretch his legs a bit too. Or maybe you have a human friend in need of a scenic walk.
Fall is for sharing.
Do you have a favorite tree that you notice every year? My grandchildren are well aware of our “fall tree.” We eagerly watch it year-after-year. It is traditional to stroll down to the end of our cul-de-sac and sit under its shade at least once every Fall. The tradition is to pick out a special leaf to dry and put inside the family scrapbook.
FOUR
4) Fall is the perfect time to engage all five of your senses.
LISTEN
Do you hear the popping of the trees as you hike along?
They are adjusting to the cold and saying “hello” to autumn.
Can you hear the snapping and cracking sounds as the earth stretches its bones and welcomes the new fall changes?
If you listen very carefully you might even hear the cooler winds blowing across the land and chasing out the warm air of summer.
TAKE A DEEP BREATH
Notice all the new smells; the smoking chimneys from fireplaces burning off the chill from your neighbor’s homes, the smell of apples from the harvests of the beautiful rolling hillsides.
Please let your nose direct you straight to a festive apple orchard and their fall harvest! Fall is never complete without a good round of apple-picking. Please take the whole family. The more the merrier! You’ve never experienced so much fun as this; I promise.
I love how life’s simplest pleasures turn out to be the best when you enjoy them with the ones you love.
MOVE
Go apple-picking and see how many senses you can use in one day. I guarantee you all five will be introduced at some point.
Soups and pumpkin spices whiff across the kitchens of the community.
Roasting marsh-mellows burn at the bonfires of local gatherings.
Smell the coffee brewing and drifting through the house begging you to sit a spell and enjoy some quiet.
Then there is that feast of the eyes as we all begin to take in the season’s vivid colors with the dances of the leaves on the trees. They change their colors daily. First we see the poplars, then the maples, then the other trees follow suit until they all stand together as if they were dressed for some elaborate banquet that must take place before the winter arrives.
The colorful trees wave at us and invite us to join in their dance. On the best fall days; we do.
DANCE
Fall is for dancing in a million different ways.
We are honored to be the guests of the season.
Everywhere we go we see it’s colorful welcome signs. They seem to say “stay awhile and enjoy our beauty.”
Then there is that pleasure from the sounds of the fall.
If you listen carefully you will hear the calls of the birds who are now migrating to warmer places for the winter.
Have you lived in your area long enough to notice the fall flight patterns of the birds?
The geese are especially loud and so are the crows. Droves of them swoop down for quick snacks all over our yards before moving on to warmer places. An owl hoots his fall songs as we dream.
LEARN
This is a good time to point out the different varieties of birds in your area to your children and grand-children.
Every moment of Fall seems to be another golden teaching opportunity.
Don’t forget the sense of taste in this season because Fall is the tastiest season ever. The land is bountiful with pumpkins, squash, apples, nuts and spices. Get creative and make a new fall dish to serve your family for dinner!
FIVE
5) Fall is a great time to engage in community.
There are events and festivities everywhere.
Watch a local high school play football. Take in a college game. Don’t forget to wear the appropriate school colors!
Visit a local outdoor museum of living history. These little museums are scattered all across the country if you just know where to look. We need to support their heroic efforts. They make the past come alive for us.
Join in with the hayrides. Go pumpkin picking; or bake a pie for the local fair. You never know if you might not be the next blue ribbon prizewinner.
SIX
6) Teach the kids how to earn money by working. Let them rake leaves in the yard. Make it a family affair. Let the little ones help. They may not be very productive yet; but they will have fun. Enjoy the season like never before.
Don’t forget to take a few photos. You will be surprised how much you will cherish those as the years go by.
SEVEN
7) The Fall season is a great time to get artistic and crafty.
There are so many things one can do with candy, cloth, paper, canvas, glue, paint and a few crayons.
Invite people over for a fall art party. Vote on your favorite work at the end of your time. Give a special bottle of wine to the best artist in the group. Perhaps they will offer to share it with everyone; you never know.
If you have already been as crafty and artistic as possible at home this year; get out and appreciate the art in a local museum. They are scattered everywhere across the country. Why not find one tucked away in the mountains so you can also enjoy the scenic trip on the way there and back?
Who knows what inspirations this will bring?
EIGHT
8) As the days get chillier; it is a good time to relax and catch up on your reading.
Find some new authors that you have never read before. However; don’t forget your old favorites. Make a pile of books to enjoy by the fireplace this fall and winter.
Children love stories.
Find the time to sit and read with your children and your grandchildren. These will be the stories they cherish all of their lives.
Fall is the best season for story-telling. If you haven’t added stories to your list of fall activities, you need to rethink your list.
Children love stories about the season.
Adults love historical and whimsical fiction.
You can even write your own stories and incorporate some of your local fall traditions into the telling.
Why not build a campfire in your back yard and allow everyone to swap stories as you roast marsh-mellows and make “some-mores?”
NINE
9) Do you play a musical instrument? Why not write a song especially for fall? Compose the music for it as you go through this season. It will help you to always remember the days gone by.
Start a collection for each season. Before you know it you will have your own arrangements for every occasion.
Songs make excellent gifts for any fall gathering.
TEN
10) It is absolutely essential that you take a child on a fall hay ride. This is even better if that hay ride includes a pumpkin patch at the end. Go some where that you may collect your own pumpkin and carry it home to decorate your front porch for the season.
Go ahead and join in these memory making adventures.
If you can’t find a child to take; don’t skip it.
Adults are allowed to be children in the Fall. Go; even if it is just you. You will make lots of new friends along they way.
My favorite place to do this is Old Baker Farms.
ELEVEN
11) Go on a fall camping trip to a scenic place near some water. Remember to take lots of blankets and jackets. Do absolutely nothing but sit and have pleasant conversations as you watch the leaves change colors. Well, okay. You can do a little fly-fishing if you want.
Lots of local parks have log cabins that can be rented for a very reasonable price. Take a weekend break and watch the season change outside.
TWELVE
12) Go shopping for a new fall sweater, or a winter coat.
It is time to get prepared for the weather to change. We have to be ready when it happens.
Pull out your blankets and place them on the beds.
Polish up the sled and chop up the firewood. Winter will show up eventually. Be ready.
We all know this magic of Fall won’t last forever; but we also know that God brings it back to us year-after-year. Fall is our signal to stop, relax, enjoy, take a deep breath; then prepare for winter.
Take a lesson from the busy squirrels. Put away some canned goods in your pantry.
We could go on and on because there really are 10,000 ways to enjoy the wonder of the Fall season.
It isn’t necessary though; because Fall has a magical way of bringing all of these things out in all of us at just the right moments.
Trust me.
You will know when it happens.
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