Mother Nature’s Fashion Show
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” (Albert Camus)
Wow! She’s doing it again! Mother Nature has turned up the color and is giving us her annual autumnal show. “Leaf peepers” are congregating to board buses for their annual fall trips to New England and to other spots that showcase the seasonal beauty. Rakes are coming out of the corners of the garage ready to gather up the delicate souvenirs as they swirl down from the trees, dancing one last time for us before they are gathered up and disappear for another year.
After a summer display of a variety of shades of green, the trees are starting to set themselves apart from one another as if to say, “Look at me! I am special”. In the previous season, the verdant hues blended together like one big lush mass against the blue skies. But now I can easily distinguish the fiery red sugar maples from the warm yellow sunburst locusts and the deep orange tinted pin oaks. Their unique beauty stands out and the individual outlines become more defined. It is as if we are given special magnifying glasses to wear at this time of year so that we can appreciate each tree and its entire splendor.
Maybe we should adopt nature’s routine and take a season in our lives and turn up the color! Why not take a moment to call attention to ourselves? After all, we deserve it. Each one of us has so many wonderful things to offer. Perhaps we should have an annual time when we shout-out and say “Look at me, I am special” just like nature does.
It is easy to get caught up in the fast pace of our lives and to spin until the perimeters of our own existence become blurred by the dizzying speed. The beauty of our individual life can become camouflaged by our daily routine and before we know it, we blend into the large mass of humanity, just like the unremarkable rows of summer trees. We end up surrendering our individuality in exchange for fatigue and stress.
So I challenge each one of you. Take a moment, go out and buy something really bright and out of your usual style and wear it the next time you are with friends or co-workers. Wait for a reaction, and then, if no one notices, because they are in that frantic cyclone of life, feel free to actually say, “Hey, do you like my new outfit? I feel really special in it.” Then give a really big smile and wait for a response.
Okay…I will go first. I just purchased a bright new orange sweater and I am ready for my fall fashion show! Look out Mother Nature, here I come!
Now it is your turn.
Kim
