Autumn Leaves

The falling leaves

Drift by my window

The falling leaves

Of red and gold

Birthdays are a time for reflection, right? So here you go.

When one is my age, and the season of Autumn rolls around, one can begin to take the colorful messages of Fall a little personally. I mean, all around you there is sap drying up, leaves getting brittle, bursts of color preceeding the drop off, younger restless creatures rustling through the detritus of dying vegetation… jeepers, I get your point already! I can hardly wait for winter to set in metaphorically. :( I'll probably be downright offended at the themes January and February relate to me when I'm, oh... 72 or so!

A noontime stroll around the company grounds earlier in the week got me thinking about the different approaches trees have to the progress of the seasons, especially this Autumn one. First, there's the "let's get it all over with" approach.



There's the "quite bright, but losing it in stages" approach.




There's the "evergreen (I refuse to change at all)" approach.



Each has their merits, I suppose, but.. I don't know. I kind of favor this one: "Stand in full leaf for a long time, turning color slowly, easing into a pleasing blend of youth and age. Drop the last leaf just before Spring comes around."



:) Yeah. That's my aim. Kind of like the verse D gave me for my birthday, Psalm 92:12-14:

"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,

[...] They shall still bear fruit in old age;

They shall be fresh and flourishing"

Think I'll go get myself a Bonsai tree. While I still have time to teach it a little something. ;)