Fall

“What is your favorite season and why?”

This is one of the questions that invariably pops up in life from time to time, some have a quick response, while others are left fumbling, casting about in their mind for an answer. For myself and many other people, the answer is the fall, but again, why?  I believe it is because the fall is the only magical season.  It is the warm, elderly relative of seasons, and it is the season with the strongest scent.  Which, I think, is one of the main keys.

Many a poet, writer, and lyricist have likened the seasons to mankind and I am about to add my voice to the chorus.  In my mind’s eye spring reflects our birth and our childhood.  It is the time of fresh flowers, life, play, and new beginnings; everything is hopeful and full of promise.

The summer is the teens and early adulthood of our lives.  The time of drinks, frivolity, and figuring out who we are.  This is the time of testing out new romance and making future plans.  Near the end of summer, we all become a bit more serious.  A new sense of somberness fills the cooling nights.

Autumn or Fall shows us the golden years of our lives.  Homes are filled with the scents of stews and hearty meals. Children run around playing, wrapped in the warm hug of sweaters, while the cool air begins to sharpen its teeth with gentle nips on their ears and noses.  Families join together to walk and take in the multitude of colours before going home to sit in the in the dusty smelling warmth of houses heating after a long slumber.

The fall leads to winter, which gives us glimpses of our futures.  Life is cold, slow, and more difficult.  Everything is bleak and a seemingly full of despair, yet people wander around warming themselves on the small flame of the promise of a new spring.  The cycle then continues, this time however, with more new life and fewer old souls, having lost those who could not suffer the bite of winter and finally succumbed.

Yet through all of this wondrous cycle, for me, it is the fall. It always has been and always will be. To me, fall is life. As I stated previously, I think it all harkens back to scent, fall has the strongest scent. Actually, science has shown us that scent is magic, which is why I say that the fall is magical. Science has discovered that scent bypasses the “rational” thinking centre of the brain and heads straight to the emotional core. As we all know, emotions do not always allow us to make the clearest of decisions.

A good number of my happiest memories occurred in the fall and are locked close to my heart due to the aromas in the air at the time. Fall is the smell of spices, the itchiness of sweaters, and the sweet smell of decaying leaves that rustle like cheering fans as my feet push through them. It is the smell of wood fires floating through the neighborhood, the burning of dust in the heaters, and the smell of hearty, soul warming food.

The fall clothing also adds a touch of magic to the season. After a season of heat and sweat, we can now enjoy the cool air and wrap ourselves in the warm comfort of fall fashions. Woolly socks, giant sweaters, and jogging pants embrace us, while we curl up under a blanket with a good story and a hot drink.
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No matter what is going on in my life, a whiff of a cool, crisp fall day, will always bring me back to a happy place. I sincerely hope that you each may find your own season and bask in its comfort. Be well.
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