You all know what day THIS is. The first day of Autumn. Oh sure, it is a beautiful time of the year. The wide array of magnificent colors. Albeit those are the colors of dying things. And of course, there is that unmistakeable crisp feel in the air. A hint of cool and clean leans softly on the edge of the day. Of course, it is the precursor for -25 degrees F., with 2 feet of snow, in just a couple short months. But YES. Today is the First Day of Autumn.
You see, that also means the Fall Equinox. And the equinoxes, by definition, are the times (twice each year) at which the sun crosses the celestial equator. And this indicates that exact balance…. when day and night are of equal length. Fifty-fifty. Half and Half.
Ah. The Fall Equinox.
Equinox by itself isn’t so bad. But when you put “Fall” with it…… holy crimeny.
Now… FALL by definition… (and there are A LOT of them)….
…. it means…. to move downward, typically rapidly without control OR….. to lose one’s balance and collapse. It could mean…. to decrease in number, amount, intensity, or quality. AND. Most commonly… an act of falling or collapsing — a sudden uncontrollable descent.
Nonetheless. It doesn’t sound good. Jack and Jill fell down the hill. Humpty Dumpty took a great fall. The Fall of the Roman Empire. Yes. Fall.
Don’t get me wrong. I like the Season, while it really IS the Season. But it is the harbinger of disastrous cold. And more.
Now wouldn’t you know it? I am depressed. And right now… I am going to go get under some blankets. And fix some hot cocoa. And I don’t even drink cocoa. I’ll be back in the Spring when the birds are singing, and the cows are coming home. When the next Equinox rolls around.
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”
― Henry David Thoreau
“No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds – November!”
— Thomas Hood
“There is no season such delight can bring, as summer, autumn, winter and the spring.”
— William Browne