Yesterday I found the most perfect fall street to drive down - Garfield Ave. between 38th and 42nd Streets in South Minneapolis. It's lined with the kind of maple trees whose leaves turn that golden yellow, and front yards, cars parked on the street, and the street itself were carpeted and golden. Leaves kept falling, too, as I drove down the street on my way home. It was lovely.
Autumn has always been my favorite season and usually I like summer a whole lot, as well, but this year it was a relief to say goodbye to it. I read a poem by Rilke called "Autumn Day," the first line of which is: "Lord: it is time. The summer was immense." And that pretty much sums it up for me right there. Lord, it's time for summer to be done! Wrap it up! Summer is always so full, so hard to ignore, so exhausting. There's lots of movement and sun, which is great, but it never feels like there's enough time for everything in the summer. Everything is so immediate. Autumn is much slower, more introspective. It's not quite so vast or overwhelming as summer but not as cocooned in itself as winter, either. The sun is still shining, the weather is still gorgeous, but things are settling down. Tempers cool. Life acquires a steadier rhythm. We start the process of putting things to bed for a few months. It's like you can put things on hold for a little while and come back to them when you're ready. And I love that feeling.
