COLUMN: Welcome, Autumn, we could use you
Welcome, Autumn.
I normally don’t write letters to seasons because I never am quite sure which stationary to use, how much postage to put on the envelope or whether it will end up in a spam folder.
I hope you don’t mind me calling you Autumn. I know it is more formal than addressing you as “Fall.’’ But fall also can be a verb and, quite frankly, the world has been in a freefall since the middle of March.
Our mouths have been covered and smothered for almost two-thirds of the year. We have been chided for hugging folks, shaking hands and being sociable. Distance is a weary way to live your life.
Spring was spent in a bubble. Summer was a bummer. The fires are still burning. Everywhere.
So, give us a fresh start, Autumn. Show us where to push the reset button.
I know you are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. I have been tracking you like a UPS package. Sept. 22 is the autumnal equinox, a day when there are an “almost” equal number of daylight minutes and darkness. (We all could use a little balance.)
Once upon a time, I claimed Spring as my favorite season. After all, we come out of hibernation. The days are warmer and longer. We test positive for incurable cases of Spring Fever. The flowers are blooming. It’s a swell time … except for the pollen.
I now am willing to switch my allegiances. You always have been a close second, Autumn. It’s time to make your move.
Besides, this past spring really didn’t feel like much of one, with all that “sheltering in place.’’ And then along came summer, which turned up the heat. “Sweltering in place” made the times even more miserable. We still had to remain 72 inches apart. We continued to take detours from our everyday routines.
No pressure, Autumn, but I have cast you in the lead role for the coming months. I expect nothing short of an Oscar-winning performance. (A vaccine would be a nice start.)
Here is your script, your cue cards, your teleprompter, your checklist … whatever it takes to lead our comeback.
Bring us cooler temps. That should improve our moods. It doesn’t have to be flannel-sheet weather but grant us a few weeks of sleeping with the windows open. Fresh air. Afternoon walks. Deliver us a reprieve from having to run the AC in the car, then spread a gentle frost on the pumpkin patch.
Take our breath away. Roll out your tapestry. Sweep your brush across the amazing palette of foliage from the North Georgia mountains to the South Georgia wiregrass. Let down your hair and show off every leaf as if it were a flower. Especially my favorite – the ginkgoes. In Macon, they rival the beauty of Macon’s springtime Yoshino cherry trees.
Cheer us with cheers. I am thrilled football is back, even with limited or no crowds in stadiums and restrictions on tailgating. At least we are trying. I have enjoyed the shortened baseball season, despite the piped-in crowd noise and cardboard fans. The Atlanta Braves are talented enough this year to win the World Series. (It might carry an asterisk by it but who the heck cares?) It will seem strange to watch The Masters the second in November. Although there won’t be any spectators and the azaleas won’t be showcased, there will be a green jacket. Life goes on.
Bless us with holidays. My favorite is Thanksgiving, the most family-centered of all. Halloween is a tradition in my neighborhood. (In 2020, everybody already has masks.) There are other autumn holidays, most notably Veteran’s Day. I come from a long line of family members who served in the military, so it is special to me. And no other season has so many spiritual holidays, from Yom Kippur and Hanukkah to All Saints Day and Advent. (And some would say Black Friday and Cyber Monday are religious experiences.) Even though Christmas comes on the fifth day of winter, you do all the prep work and heavy lifting to carry it there.
The welcome mat is all yours, Autumn. Reward us with Friday Night Lights and fall festivals. Give us back the hour’s sleep Spring snatched away for Daylight Savings Time. Remind us to get our flu shots.
Let us build fires in our fireplaces and have children jumping in the piles of leaves we rake in the yard. Prompt us to pay homage to all the special holidays that appear on the pages of the autumn calendar. There are days that honor everything from dictionaries to gumbo to comic books to saxophones, homemade bread and caregivers.
Give us a reason to sort out the sweaters and sweatshirts and keep the heavy coats in the closet. Allow us to see our breaths in the morning. And, because there is nothing more peaceful than a crisp autumn afternoon, please make sure we are still and listen to our heartbeats.
Bring it on, Autumn.
Ed Grisamore teaches journalism at Stratford Academy in Macon. His column appears on Sundays in The Telegraph.