My Ode to Fall
Chapel Hill, NC in the fall, where I spent last Fall and many before that!
Photo credit: NC State (?)
Some people love Spring because of the new life that it promises. Spring is when we see the world around us waking up again after a long and bleary winter. It's when we decorate our homes with bright colored wreaths and plant new plants in our yard, or perhaps watch the old ones come back to life. It's when shorts and sundresses are ok, when running feels like a dream and you can feel that hint of summer in the air, with the promise of beach trips, salty ocean air, ice cream, lake trips, tan lines, and as much time in the sun and away from work or school as possible. It's when we celebrate new life in Jesus rising from the dead and when we start to think that maybe winter was worth it after all if we get to experience all of the goodness of the world waking up again.
But I'm not a Spring girl. Though I have an April birthday and now an April anniversary, I'm a Fall girl through and through. I like the different kind of promise that Fall brings; instead of prompting me to wake up and start things anew, it's a gentle reminder to take care of the old. Fall gives me permission to rest a little bit, as the plants and life around me are starting to wind down for the season to take a break from all of that growing and living until the Spring comes again. I need a break from all of the growing, too. Summers are usually exhausting for me; I love them, but they're so stuffed with weddings and traveling and trips that I often welcome Fall as my time to breathe in all of its delightful smells, bake some pumpkin goodness in my kitchen, and take a break from all the crazy. For inevitably, the winter is coming, which means Christmas and more chaos with shopping, baking holiday treats, going to Christmas parties, and traveling back home to visit family, if I'm so lucky.
In the Fall, I watch When Harry Met Sally and You've Got Mail repeatedly. Tom Hanks seems to agree that Fall is quite wonderful.
"Don't you love New York in the Fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." You've Got Mail
Oh, he gets it. He gets that Fall has all of the charm that the other seasons lack. He gets that there is a different kind of freshness to Fall than what we see in the Spring. Spring is beautiful, but Fall is beautiful in a million different sorts of ways.
Fall in Indy is here and I am soaking it up. Sure, I'm a little bit sad that we didn't have an awesome summer for sunbathing and laying by the pool with strawberry margaritas; but since we didn't, it makes it that much easier for me to welcome my favorite season. I'm not mourning the loss of my tan lines or beach days; we had very few of beach days this year, and as for tan lines, mine have already faded. I've heard Fall in the Midwest is beautiful, too, so I'm hoping it can hold a candle to Chapel Hill's beautiful fall scene. I'm craving apple picking, orange and golden leaves, and more pumpkin than I've ever had before in my life. I'm craving friends around my table enjoying these treats with me and the rest that is coming after a busy, exhausting, and difficult summer for our family.
So come on over. There's pumpkin scones to be had, crockpot pumpkin spice lattes to be made, and conversations to be had on the Chancey couch or at our kitchen table. There's chili bubbling on the stove and cornbread baking in the oven. And there's the invitation for rest and a friendly face and the promise for all that is good and quiet and restful ahead.
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