Yesterday I was sitting on the deck enjoying some Indian summer. It’s almost November. Sometime around two-thirty the angle of the sun finally reached me, warming my
back. The air was sweet with the blossoms of the small lemon tree behind me, so sweet a hummingbird dropped by briefly. Sitting in the still, warm air I can almost imagine it’s a cool summer day in the mountains. It’s fall in Northern California. The deck is strewn with fallen leaves like a wood nymph went by tossing leaves for our pleasure, much as a flower girl would
drop rose petals at a wedding. Tomorrow I will make another attempt to clear the deck but as there are so many more green leaves still clinging to the tree, it will not be the final clean
sweep. I paused in my writing to pick two ripe Sungold cherry tomatoes for an afternoon snack. I have to catch them as they get ripe or even before, otherwise the raccoons will have them at night.
I love that the warmth of the sun takes be back to earlier days when lying on warm rocks, soaking up the sun was all that was expected of me. I’m grateful that for a brief moment I can capture the feelings of those free hours and use them to renew my spirit before the responsibilities roll in. I
can already feel the snippets of thought reminding me of things to do. I chose to take a little longer. Sitting in the quiet, I hear the sounds of the dry leaves as they “hit the deck”; watch a spider rebuilding her web. It is easy to open to the nuances of life when you are sitting still. My challenge is to stay open to these little things as I resume my busy day. It’s my challenge to you as well. As life gets busy and pushes in don’t miss the sound of falling leaves.
