The Autumn Transition
The wind flows through my freshly cut hair, the sound of it overpowering everything else around me. Leaves fall to the ground, only to get picked up by the wind so they can once again twirl around me. It’s getting colder. Once home, I turn on the heating for the first time this year and lean against the radiator as it’s getting warmer and warmer. It’s clear that autumn is here.
To many autumn is a beautiful season, even though it’s mostly about things falling apart. Sure, the season’s colors are pretty, but let’s not forget that it’s death that we’re seeing. We like the change – at least I do – because it’s something different. Nature shows us that it can’t always be summer, that all good things come to an end.
But to me it’s much more than that. I need this period, I need to wind down. It’s not that I don’t like the summer, but more that I don’t mind the winter. I like every season: each one has it’s pros and cons. But if I had to choose, I often come to the conclusion that winter is my favorite season. But if it just happened overnight, I’m not sure I’d like it as much. We need transitional periods. Humans don’t like change, at least not if it happens quickly. We need to adjust. I need to adjust. Obviously you can just put on a winter coat when it becomes to cold, but I’d certainly miss autumn if it weren’t here to guide me to the winter.
I like the winter because it’s cold. I like the winter because there’s snow: I like the world black and white. I like the sudden darkness. I love the coziness you can create *because* it’s so dark, cold and gray. I love being cold and burying myself under the bedsheets. I might be different in my winter approach, but even if I’m the strange one I’d rather be that than feel shit all day because I don’t like the season.
Sure, I get cold. Sure, it’s often annoying to have your hands and face freeze over while you’re riding your bike. But you take it as it is. And because of it I’ll appreciate being home even more, simply because of the warmth it gives me. During winter, I feel so much more at home than during the summer. Your home is what keeps you warm; it may even keep you alive.
During winter, I appreciate what I’ve got so much more.
Winter and show are not interchangeable terms anymore, are these your childhood memories?
I hate all seasons except for summer, which I think could use a 15 degrees temperature boost as well. I like the light, warmth and energy of the summer, and hate being forced into our modern caves to prevent freezing to death. I like to let clean fresh air into my room instead of closing windows and heating the room. If it’s cold and dark it takes more effort to go outside for groceries or fitness. I hate the last warm days of the year, because I know I have to wait 10 months before temperature gets bearably again.