Autumn Leaves

Since I was a child, autumn has been my favorite season. I’ve always loved October 1.) because it’s my birthday month and 2.) I love pumpkins, the weather, and fall leaves. However, it’s ironic, because where I grew up the leaves didn’t turn colors. They simply changed from green to brown and fell off the tree overnight. So, while I was drawn to pictures of trees with yellow, red, and orange leaves, I’d never seen it in person- besides on a few trees. Until this season.

I’m not sure why, but I seem to have seen many colored trees this fall around Fort Worth than I remember seeing the past couple years. It could be because I now live off campus and pass several different kinds of trees on my way to campus. In comparison to the past two years when I lived on campus and spent the majority of my time at TCU. However, my roommate and I were talking about how we have noticed much more vibrant trees this fall.

I started to notice it a few weeks back and I got so excited. I’m not sure why, but I just don’t think there is anything much more beautiful than autumn leaves. Someday I want to live somewhere that gets a full autumn, where all the trees change colors, before they fall to the ground.

On my way to campus the other day, I noticed there was an abnormal amount of leaves on the ground. It was a particularly windy day and the street I was driving on was covered in leaves. As I drove, the leaves seemed to dance in front of my car. At first it was a swift sort of sweeping across the ground, and then as I sped around the corner and more leaves gathered, it appeared as though the leaves were running for their lives all in different directions. I’m not sure why, but I was intrigued- the appearance of it all and my fascination with it was almost comical. I watched the leaves run until I approached a red light and the leaves settled with my car. I thought about the dancing leaves for the rest of the day. I guess I found it so intriguing, because I had never focused on something like that before with such intention, even though it’s so common place.

As I’ve grown older, I think I like autumn, because it represents a time of transition. The leaves are undergoing a change, where they change colors and fall off the trees. The trees remain bare for the winter, until spring brings new leaves. It sounds cliché, but the changing of the leaves represents the changing of seasons in my life. This semester has been a difficult one for me. I’ve had a lot personal things been going on in my life and it’s been difficult for me to focus on the positive outcomes of all sorts of changes. However, seeing the leaves fall off the trees reminded me that change, no matter how it seems, isn’t all bad and it’s temporary. Sure, I may lose some things in my life, like the trees lose their leaves, but I will eventually gain/grow new things in their place.