Fall

Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored," in a misty mood on a sunny day!

Every year in the month of October, I get heartsick here in the flat lands. Autumn is beautiful here, but in the mountains where I grew up, it is a month of rapid heartbeats. It's fireworks that don't burst and fade in seconds. It's cascades of color in tiers, flowing down the mountainside and bursting out of the hollows. It's roads rimmed in gold and bronze and scarlet oaks, corners blazed yellow, vistas splattered with glory.

The oaks on Polish Mountain turn red. Here the oaks just go brown, and the leaves fall slowly, over weeks and weeks. One good gale would rip the whole mountain bare, where I grew up.

I suppose I'm in the early autumn of my own life now. I wish I was young, and in love, back in the mountains again. There's something to be said for being calm and mature ... but young and rowdy suited me just fine.

My only regret is that I wasn't brave enough. Young people, boldly state your purpose! Tell that person that you adore just how you feel! A moment of rejection beats the hell out of a lifetime of wondering what might have been. Howl at the moon and shoot out the lights! I didn't find out how much fun this could be until it was too late to do much of it.

Free advice from Anne: Don't come into autumn with "should have, would have" regrets. Remember our Pagan creed: If it doesn't hurt anyone, go ahead and do it! Just do it, don't wait! Those leaves are gonna sift right down onto the ground in the first strong rainstorm. Enjoy their day in the sunshine.

Any questions?