“O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes’ sake along the wall.”
-Robert Frost, October
The other day, Jeremy and I left the house early to take care of some errands, which included a meeting where we discussed some very serious, adult-like stuff. While we’re feeling good about everything, life’s been full of huge and stressful steps lately. On our way to grab breakfast after the meeting, we took a little detour to a nearby park and spent some time acting like kids – crunching through the leaves and tossing them about, and laughing and smiling like crazy about who knows what – because sometimes when “adulting” gets to be too much, that’s just what you need to do.
I could have spent forever taking in the colors and sounds of that October morning in the woods, making that short but everlasting memory with Jeremy. For even the briefest period of time, the rest of the world – and the worries that come with it – didn’t matter.
Don’t forget to pause and take a time out, whether you’re in the midst of a bit of chaos or not, to appreciate the beauty and solace this time of year brings with it. It never does last quite long enough.
xo, Aly