h. duxbury creations

I have always seen fall as a kind of beginning.

I know a lot of people see fall as an ending: that slow decline into winter and the “dead” months– and it makes sense. The harvest, the cooling down, the end of the summer break for schools. But autumn feels so ALIVE to me. That passionate flush of leaves, the ripening fruits and rich foods, the zip of a cool breeze on warm cheeks. That sense of returning and renewal is present even as things begin to fade.

Admittedly, that sense of beginning wasn’t always positive for me. When I was younger I would spend weeks in anxiety of the coming fall, watching with dread as the sunlight slipped away from me. Fall felt appropriate a name, because it felt like falling into a pit of darkness at times, away from the sun and warmth and life.

It took a long time for me to make peace with not only the autumn but the winter. I now look forward to the quiet months, the long nights and quiet mornings.

This year, I am reflecting on a year of reading, learning new skills and wondering what else I might learn as we enter the more reflective months.

What do you have beginning for you this autumn?