‘Tis Only a Season"The sky is clean, clear, and the sun itself is benevolent, the autumn sun making an autumn day a special moment in time."
American Author Hal Borland, Twelve Moons of the Year
Every afternoon, I leave work only to step outside and find myself wrapped in a cool sierra breeze, yet bathed in the warm sunlight of central Spain. The first thing I love to do when I arrive at the #157 bus stop is close my eyes, turn on my iPod, and take a deep breath — enjoying that the school day is over while letting the warmth of the autumn sun hit my freckled cheeks.
One thing that I can never tire of is this season. No matter what part of the world I am in, I find such peace, such calm in autumn and its falling leaves, warm colors and cinnamon-like smells. I missed autumn while living in Buenos Aires in 2006, as I arrived to the southern hemisphere a bit too late. And I felt robbed, like someone had literally taken something from me that I could never get back. I have told myself since then that I would never again miss fall.
I am constantly reminded of this season that we are in, as my adorable first graders tell me every day. It’s like I have a record of their voices constantly playing in my mind… “Today is Monday, October 27th, 2008… it is autumn.” How I hope they are able to say a bit more in English by the end of this year.
Although I always find such beauty in the yellows, oranges, and reds of the leaves during this time, as I was walking home the other day from school, I noticed a bright green leaf that had fallen from its tree. It looked so out of place, so mismatched among its neighboring leaves that were filled with such warm colors. It had fallen too early, but it had fallen nonetheless. It was now a part of the leaf piles of the Calle de Cuesta Blanca.
Seeing this green leaf made me think of myself, and many of my good friends who have recently graduated and are now in the "real world," making livings for themselves, and trying to figure out what they want out of life. It's like we are so out of place in this new stage of our lives that maybe we weren't ready to fall into the mix of reds, yellows, and oranges.
Despite these feelings of misplacement and uncertainty in a brand new life, what I have learned this past week is acceptance. I have accepted that, for the moment, I am a part of the reds, yellows, and oranges. Life here is becoming routine, so it no longer feels like such a big accomplishment to make it through another day. Now, it is just another day, just like the one before. I see the same people on the bus each afternoon, I have made friends with the employees at the library, and I feel like this city is now my home. There is such a sense of familiarity, which makes things very comfortable. I have gained an acceptance of how my life here is. And 'tis only a season, autumn will soon become winter, which will be filled with new thoughts, experiences, and adventures.
