What Does Fall Bring to Boomer’s This Year?  Joy!

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting 

and autumn a mosaic of them all”

Stanley Horowitz

Fall represents a time for transformation, both personal and environmental.  The temperatures are dropping (even here in southern California), the leaves are beginning to turn their brilliant hues, your wardrobe is about to change with a new outfit or donning a pair of your favorite boots or jacket.  The Autumnal Equinox occurs this year on September 22^nd; it’s where the length of the day is equivalent to the length of the night, which means we are transitioning from long summer days to shorter and cooler days.  History and cultures tell us the advent of autumn was for the harvest.  It also represents the preservation of life and its basic necessities.  During this time animals prepare for winter by storing food and creating cozy hibernation spaces.   Farmers collect a reserve of crops in time for the winter months.  I have a cousin who is a farmer and dairy man located in the California central valley.  He has a rather large operation which requires him to work from sun-up to sun-down, seven days a week.  I thank him for all his hard work and effort to put food on the tables for people throughout America.  

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Now is the time when we also find a personal transformation not only by observing the changes in our climate, but by giving us a new perspective allowing us to focus on a variety of topics and experiences that come with this beautiful season.  Fall is a season drenched in tradition by enabling us to reflect and embrace change.  We all need to be thankful for what we have each and every day.  So, let me share with you what a few of these transformations might look like while you prepare to celebrate the fall season.  

“Notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature”

Friedrich Nietzche

• Here in southern California one of the first things we are able to do is turn-off the air-conditioner and throw open the windows, providing of course the smoke from the wild-fires has subsided;
• Hype up the exercise program with the cooler temps–get back on the bikes or take a brisk walk;
• Your garden will undergo a slight change with the advent of fall blossoms and flowers;
• Our diets will most likely be altered slightly from the summer-time run and gun to a less hectic and more health-conscious foodie preparation;
• It will give us a time to slow down and take in the sights of the fall majesty of colors;
• With the restrictions of the coronavirus easing up, and if you are permitted, pick up your grandchildren and whisk them off to the nearest zoo, pumpkin patch, hay-ride or apple dunking for new-found memories;
• Reflect and gives thanks;
• Plan a day trip now that the temperatures will be more accommodating, to a nearby stream, a field full of sunflowers, a placid lake filled with all kinds of bustling flora and fauna, pitch a tent in the sand and watch the sun drop across the ocean expanse, head to the local mountains with your jacket in hand and experience the utter quiet of Mother Nature, find a totally isolated spot away from the glaring lights of society and look up—I bet you can almost touch the Milky Way, and more.  Get creative because whatever you decide is perfectly fine;
• Expand your horizons by changing the décor in your home and patio with a color palette filled with brilliant autumnal hues;
• Shift your closet around because the sleeveless blouses, shorts and capri pants need to be replaced with jeans, long sleeves, sweaters, and jackets;
• Don’t forget the extra blanket that needs to be placed at the foot of the bed for the just in case drop in temperature;
• Bring your smart phone or SLR camera and take a montage of seasonal photos to share with your family and friends;
• Take the boat out and enjoy a slice of serenity;
• And most of all, be kind to others, even if you disagree with their points of view, during this extraordinary unique and challenging time in which we are living.

Oh what a fun time the changing of seasons brings.  Hoorah.  All of these ideas help us Boomers and Seniors to be forever grateful for what we have been given and the ability to embrace it all.  Happy Fall.

“A fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer’s wave goodbye”