Autumn is, hands down, my favorite season. It’s a time to slow down, become introspective, and to watch the world draw in on itself. It’s not a time to rush or to take unnecessary risks—that is reserved for the spring—but to plan, be deliberate, and to act.
In alchemy Autumn is the time in which the Philosopher’s Stone is brought to completion.
The harvest is complete, and a year’s worth of work, toil and struggle comes to a close. If you worked hard, if you saved and put in true effort, then you enjoy the fruits of your work. If not, then—should you survive—you will learn from your folly. It’s a time of completion, remembrance, hope, and of sadness. Another year gone by, mistakes made, lost opportunities, and lost loves.
But it’s not a melancholy time of year…not really. It’s another chance. You look back, you are forced to remember why you did what you did and how you can learn from that. It’s a time of opportunity because you have to look long and hard at yourself in the mirror.
Spring is the time of exuberance and energy. It’s the time when you explode out of the ground and jump as high as you can…and then dream of how high you can jump the next day. Summer is a time to stop and to enjoy the warmth of the world and the joy of eating an apple by the lake. Winter is the time to reflect on the stillness of the world and the simple joys of family and a warm fire crackling in the family room.
The Autumn demands introspection and reflection. It demands an honest assessment and reminds you of limits, life and your place in the world.
It also allows me to wear sweaters, corduroy jackets and walk around with red cheeks that I firmly believe one girl will finally find adorable.
Honestly, I think I’m trying to be optimistic about this upcoming season. Bad decisions were made in the past year and worse actions were taken afterwards. And now I am dealing with the consequences head-on. I’m not pleased with who I realised I was capable of being. I didn’t like the person I would see looking back at me in the mirror.
And this evening I realised that as much as I’d like to blame external events, specific individuals and …
no, that’s all crap. At the end of it, I saw that while I’m not happy about where I am…I could be doing a lot worse. I could be a worse place making worse decisions and leading a worse life. I could complain about the lack of supermodels lusting after me, or why Bill Gates hasn’t decided to donate $1b to the “Berto shouldn’t work. Ever.” fund…but tonight, as I was walking home. I realised that I’m ok. I’m not thrilled with where I am, the decisions I’ve made or how alone I find myself sometimes…but at the end of it…I’m fine. I will be fine and, in fact, I’ll be greater than that.
So, let Autumn come. I’ll watch the leaves change from green to fire red, life orange and champagne yellow. I’ll try to see New England in October, I’ll take an LSAT test and mean it, I’ll complete a marathon, I will be myself.
And I’ll be fine.