I always complain about winter. I really, really, really loathe it with all of my being. I'm talking about a real northern winter, with temperatures below the freezing point and snow that won't cease tumbling down from the clouds. It. Is. Horrid. I know, pretty uncharacteristic for girl that hails from the Great White North, but it's true: I never "got used to" winter, as most people do. Generally, they just make do and accept the fact that it's just the way the cookie crumbles. Not this girl. While New York winters are more tolerable than Canadian ones by leaps and bounds, but they're still annoying as hell. But I still want them around, strangely.
I know what you're thinking: dude, why are you boring us with this outlandish, unrelated rant? Bear with me, I have a point, promise. So, with all of that said, I don't think I could live in a place that doesn't have a cycle of four distinctive seasons. The fact that we are able to experience four of Mother Nature's completely divergent mood swings is perhaps one of the best things about having grown up (and still dwelling) in the Northeast. Each and every season brings on a whole new world of possibilities, it reminds us how truly amazing the Earth really is, and mostly, I find that it makes us appreciate everything on a much higher level. It all weighs heavier in the gratitude scale.
Fall has been my favorite season for as long as I can remember. While I was never very academic, that back-to-school period was synonymous with the sort of enchantment I couldn't get enough of - the smells, the new clothes, the radical change in lifestyle, the chance to start fresh, the opportunities for getting cozy, and last but not least, the countdown to Christmas. It's the season where people begin their longing to hunker down while still having a strong desire to maximize those last beautiful days of the year while they still can. Nature's colors are enough to make anyone want autumn to last a lifetime. And while it's probably the shortest season of them all - the magic lies precisely in that hurried sensibility: take in every moment while you can because winter will be taking over before you know it. Those magnificent reds, oranges, greens and browns will fall to the ground and leave everything looking less than alive and feeling even less so.
The best way to experience autumn is to trek to a place that is dense in nature. To fully get a grasp of what fall really means, you need to see the trees, you need to smell the air, you need to go apple picking and pumpkin patching and have (spiked) hot tea by the fireplace. You need to have a spa day that overlooks insane mountain views and engage in pumpkin ale drinking at cocktail hour. You need to take scenic drives along the tree-scattered roads and hikes around a mild-distanced lake. Bonus points if you have a canine to play fetch with between all the aforementioned activities. That is my idea of perfection, what 's yours? Cheers to fall!
