By Ryan Miloshewski
The local weather forecast is calling for highs in the 50’s, with crisp, cool mornings and beautiful sunshine. Football is in full swing. The MLB postseason is starting, featuring my hometown Cardinals and cross-state Royals. NHL hockey will start in the coming week. Sycamores and honey locusts are exchanging chlorophyll for brilliant carotenoids. Yes, fall is here. And I am once again happy.
Every year, I ebb and flow with each season earth has to offer. Summer is grand. Spring is promising. Winter is maddeningly beautiful. I enjoy each for their intricacies and offerings, but the fourth season, fall, holds a place in the deepest part of my soul. Ever since I can remember, fall has brought out the best in me. It brings out an excitement, a childish giddiness. The first cold, October wind might as well be a signal beaming high in the sky for things to come. Once it hits, I know good things are in store.
Stepping outside on the first brisk morning of fall brings a refreshing and inspiring burst of energy to my psyche. Suddenly I enjoy waking up just a little more. It is especially strong when I walk through the dark woods, encompassed by a New Moon, on the way to my deer stand the first weekend of fall. This time is unlike the previous year’s hunts. I can see my breath. Leaves crunch beneath my feet. These leaves are not from fall’s past. They are recently dropped. I can hear the woods around me with unprecedented clarity. A cleansing of the soul occurs. I am rejuvenated, refreshed. Anticipation for the imminent increase in deer activity consumes me. As the sun peeks over the ridge, I begin to see the concrete transformation signs, manifesting in sharp reds, yellows and oranges. I am at peace, if only for just that day or weekend.
For some reason, I always connect fall to our founding as a nation. What did Thomas Jefferson and John Adams think when they experienced the first fall in Monticello and Quincy? I suspect it is strikingly similar to my own thoughts. Fall purifies my mind. It brings everything Mother Nature has to offer, and I am wowed each year. The feeling is a high no synthetic drug will ever produce, and cannot be replicated. The uniqueness of this season sets it apart from its siblings, and that is why we appreciate it so much. Every year I relish the thought of waking up on that first cold, October morning. Tomorrow, the feeling returns.
So break out your pumpkin beer, Halloween decorations, shotguns, rifles and bows. The season will not last forever, but it will last forever in your soul. Fall is here, folks, and, as always, it promises to be a good one!
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