Autumn Reflection


A cool breeze rustles the crispy crimson and golden leaves dangling on the twisted branches of trees towering above my head. Patches of blue sky peek from in between the gaps in the canopy like a giddy little boy playing hide and seek. Warm rays of sunlight caress my face with their comforting fingers as the wind playfully swishes my hair to the side, out of my eyes. The soft green grass around me is soon flattened as I lay on top of it on my back, the scent of earth and foliage whistling through my nostrils. The occasional footsteps of small animals and the twittering birds interrupted the silence, but ever so faintly, as if they were afraid to disturb the tranquility of the scene. Minutes turn into hours and the hours roll on. Still I lay there, absorbing every little detail of the world around me. I didn’t feel like part of the world anymore. I felt as if I was on the outside looking in, like a lonely kid at a crowded party. It was all just so beautiful, one of God’s works of art. I delicately stroked the silky grass with my fingertips and hummed a tune to myself. And with the lull of the gentle wind moving through the crinkled leaves, I floated into a light slumber.

My eyes blinked into focus a while later and I saw that the sun was starting to towards the western horizon. Gingerly sitting up and stretching my muscles, I felt completely at ease. Suddenly, a small moving object caught the corner of my eye and I turned to look. A scarlet leaf was drifting down from one of the highest branches directly above me, slowly but surely making its way down to the ground. Even its frail frame was too much for the wind to hold up, and the leaf floated gracefully lower and lower, turned in a spiral and finally landed on my lap. I stared at the small vibrant object on my grass stained blue jeans for a few seconds, and carefully picked it up between my thumb and pointer finger. It was so pretty, so perfect looking, so delicate. Looking up at the canopy, I suddenly didn’t want all those leaves to fall. Why couldn’t they stay beautiful and colorful, each one a masterpiece? Why did they all have to shrivel and dry, like flowers in a drought? I didn’t want the cold to come seeping into this peaceful little place, it was unwelcome. I imagined each little leaf screaming in denial as they plummeted down.

How did I not notice all the beauty that had been all around me before? Completely unaware, I had walked through months of this, and not stopped to look until it was about to end. All I could do was helplessly watch as the gold and crimson turned to brown, the wind bit into the warm sun kissed ground and autumn changed to a stage where there was no snow, just gray. I knew fall would come again next year, but it seemed so far away. And now, as I sit and gaze out into the colorless bitter gloom, I go back to the feeling I had when I looked into that clear blue sky and lay in that cushion of grass, awestruck by the breath taking scenery. The world works in mysterious ways; it seems that the most beautiful things become worthy of attention just as they are about to die.