What a Difference a Day Makes

"Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God. But only he who sees takes off his shoes.  The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries"

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning~

Walking outside one morning last week, I couldn’t help but bask in the coolness that pervaded my own backyard. The air that morning was light and breezy and hinted of the upcoming autumn with all the temperance of an old lazy Labrador Retriever at evening’s call, quite discrepant from the heavy, moisture filled atmosphere I’d grown accustomed to over the last couple months. In that moment, with the sun peeking ever so slightly over the horizon, as the twilight languished in the shadows of my favorite shade tree, I was reminded of the overused, yet horribly applicable cliché, “what a difference a day makes!” No other thought could adequately describe the seasonal shift I felt that late summer morning as autumn prepared to permeate the central Kentucky landscapes I’ve called home for most of my 35 years.

The uniqueness of the seasons is indeed a blessing that reveals itself every three months to those who long for subtle changes and progressions in life. During the months of seasonal shift, that age old cliché is uttered again and again as one season rules one day and another season the next. And as the blessings unfold, each new day reveals yet another introspective glance of what’s to come, a glimpse of seasonal perspective which slowly closes the door on another summer, another fall, another winter, or another spring.

The cycle of seasons perfectly analogizes the cycle of life which is why, I surmise, so many of us pronounce a favorite time of year regardless of the weather characteristics a particular season yields. My favorite is autumn, one of the two temperate seasons, a time of harvest, and a season of brilliance; as landscapes vividly adapt to natures need for vibrant colors, unmistakable aromas, and unforgettable images. It is a season of decline, of celebration, of frost covered ground, and stellar night skies. It arrives dressed in the warmth of summer with all the pomp and circumstance one can fathom, yet departs with the chill of a frozen winter wind, yesteryear forlorn, a new year begun.

That recent fall-like morning was just a taste I presume of what’s to come in the near future for central Kentucky and beyond. While it was just a mere sampling of autumn’s fantastic splendor for those of us who wish away the summer and long for the festiveness of fall, it came, not a moment too soon; a simple reminder that no one season is permanent, not the summer’s sun, not the winter’s snow, not the springtime rain, or the falling leaves. While I fully know autumn too will soon depart, thus fulfilling the cycle of the seasons, I can’t help but revel in the knowledge that she is near, knocking ever so slightly on summer’s door, just loud enough to stir that old Labrador’s slumber. Perhaps my ears are perking just a bit as well. Welcome fall! My how we have missed your smiling face! Just a thought!