Autumnal Essay: The Simplicity of Fall

Over the weekend our little family of Mama, Papa, and Baby drove up the canyon to appreciate some beautifully rosy and golden fall leaves. Along the winding road we ended up turning off the static of the radio and cruising along in silence. It was there in the quiet I was suddenly filled with the full warmth of autumn. Then it also struck me, how simple a beauty it was to share this afternoon activity with the two persons who mean most in my life. It was just us together and the incomprehensible beauty of the autumn leaves around us. 

There is always something about fall that has me yearning for the simpler life. I want to warm up by a wood burning stove. I want to cook hearty soups and bake my own bread. I want to dress in the most fuzzy, comfortable, loose clothes I own. I want to wander around in my house shoes and pack away anything resembling heels. I want to prepare for winter hibernation. Especially, I want to curl up in our little den of a house and just cuddle between my two bears. Yes, all these feelings return to me each fall. 

With all these warm fuzzies swelling up inside I felt this little treasure from Henry David Thoreau was especially apt. Though I do love intimate company, especially that of loving family and warm friends, I feel so out of place at large, fancy gatherings. Despite my best efforts to ignore them, I always get feelings of comparison and start feeling a bit wilty as a result. My hair is so drab, my clothes out of date, my lipstick completely wrong. I get a bit of those same wilty feelings when I try picking out fancy things for my home. I find myself thinking, would so and so approve of this? or I must have this because it was in that magazine, or even I just wish I had enough money for this. There they are, those wilty feelings again. 

But with fall comes a brilliant freedom from the ugly wilt. Instead I can hope to shed my dead leaves with all the glory of autumn. I can clear out all the glitz and glam of my summer clothes in exchange for the warm, natural textiles of my comfy fall wardrobe. I can hide away my heels and don the much preferred sturdy boots of all shapes, scuffs, and flatness. I can scatter my warm blankets all over the house and cuddle up in them whenever I want. I do not have to worry one wit about velvet cushions. 

If you are of the same simple fall dispositions, then I will gladly welcome you into my home. You can expect hot cider, sweatshirts, and warm bread upon your visit.