Swirling Autumn Winds

It's October 1st, and I am anticipating the arrival of those crisp, cool, and sometimes blustery fall days. The thick, white clouds float by up above as a slight breeze swirls the few fallen leaves around the ground. The air swirls above my head and whips those loose strands of hair across my face. A few leaves fall onto and against my legs as I continue walking with the breeze. It's invigorating. The air is so clear and fresh, and it breathes the anticipation of the harvest onto whoever will stop long enough to feel it. Most of us no longer harvest crops ourselves, at least not in the literal sense, but maybe we harvest something else. In preparation for winter and the upcoming holidays, we begin to slow down from all the summer activity. As the days shorten, we begin to spend less time outdoors and more time inside with friends or family, or maybe with just ourselves. There is a sense of loneliness as the fall and winter loom ahead. It's a time to reflect and recount the year's events, to see what we have done this past year, how well we have tended to ourselves and others. At least that's what autumn has always been to me.
So as it approaches, I am feeling apprehensive. I look forward to the cooler weather, to the brilliance of the changing leaves, to pumpkins, apple cider and Halloween. And although I love the blustery autumn winds, they don't bring that same sense of change, growth and renewal as the spring winds do. They just kind of swirl around what is already in existence and lay it bare before us.