Young Writers Society

The golden leaves blow with the breeze, whirling and spinning through the air, not knowing where they will end up. Some may fall in a gutter and dry up, barely making it a block from the tree they once lived on, while others may travel for miles and miles on the wind, going on an adventure they never dreamed of being fortunate enough to go on. They know they will all dry up and turn brown at some point, the span of their life being over while eventually their tree will grow new leaves, but before that happens they go on an extraordinary journey, souring on the wind, flying through the sky. It’s a bit like life really. Staying attached to your home roots before one day letting go and starting your own adventure. Some won’t make it far, while others will have extraordinary lives, even if they are short. Maybe the leaves have it figured out. Maybe there is something to be learned from these beautiful, unique creations of nature. After all, aren’t we unique creations of nature, too?

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Autumn is a beautiful time of year. It’s magical, really. I suppose every season is magical in its own way, but Autumn has always stuck out to me as being the most amazing. The leaves on the trees change into a beautiful rainbow of oranges and reds and yellows, constantly changing, ever shifting. The cool winds rush through the air, blowing through your hair and stinging your face with it’s icy chill, sending shivers down your spine while at the same time, hot cocoa warms your lips at it’s very touch.

Everyone enjoys autumn for different reasons. Some look forward to the cool, early morning walks, bundling up in a warm winter jacket and a knitted scarf, pulling a cozy hat onto their head and soft gloves over their hands, crunching through the fallen leaves with their winter boots which have waited all year to be warn again. The breeze moves through the trees, the leaves, as if to put on a dance for you as you walk along, looking at their short-lived but amazing beauty. There’s something calming about going on an autumn walk, nothing but you and nature, the breeze and the crisp smell of fall all around you. It’s inspiring, healing, peaceful…

And then there are those who enjoy the short time of this wonderful season by staying inside. Snuggling up with a soft blanket next to a roaring fire with a cup of tea and a cat purring happily on your lap. The smell of apple pie baking in the oven in preparation for the fast-approaching holidays, or perhaps just a cinnamon apple scented candle that fills your house with warmth and happiness, tickling your nose with it’s soothing aroma. Caramel corn and eggnog beside you as you watch your favorite movies that never seem to get old on the days when the snow begins to fall, or when the rain brings a bitter chill to the air, the wind threatening to blow away everything and everyone who braves to go outside. This time of year comes and goes quickly, yet moments you remember forever find a way to wiggle their way into your heart and warm you there…

Or perhaps this time of year means family and friends to you. Having family dinners for the holidays with a tender roasted chicken and mashed sweet potatoes, laughing and talking as if nothing has changed between now and the time you saw them nearly a year ago because you’re so close that the gap in time doesn’t even seem to matter. Or meeting old friends in a coffee shop and catching up on everything that is happening in your life while a warm drink that you’ve awaited all year has finally arrived and now sits in your hand, warming you from the inside out and giving comforting chills along with it’s delicious flavor and smell that makes you want melt when the aroma reaches your nose.

Apple pie and pecan cups. Friends and family. Caramel mocha’s and pumpkin latte’s. Sitting on a park bench with a loved one after a long walk through the park. In some ways, each year is it’s own life cycle. It’s starts as something new, blooming with fresh life at the beginning then prospering in the summer when the life has grown to it’s fullest, mature beauty only to wilt again in the autumn and be swept away completely by the winter just so it can start all over again. Maybe there’s something to be learned here. Each year is a life cycle for the earth, whereas we live to see dozens and dozens of them. Perhaps it’s a reminder to live life to the fullest, to never waste a moment, because life is full of beauty and one day our autumn will come too, and by learning the lessons the seasons have to give us, we will be ready for it when it comes, because we will have appreciated everything life has given us and there will be no more lessons left to learn, no more beauty left to see and it will be our time to move on into a new life, so that we may sprout and grow again in a new life.