My African Autumn

It's autumn here, but not like autumn in Missouri.  Every now and then, I get a glimpse of what fall looks like in the good old Midwest and today was one of those days...

The leaves here don't burst into color quite like they do in the States, but they do show a bit of evidence that the weather is changing.  The air however, screams the changing of the seasons.  I can see my breath as I make my way to the train station on the misty mornings.  The cool and cloudy days bring crisp breezes filled with the wafting scents of decomposing leaves and fires from the hearth.  On the days when the sun does decide to show its face, the yellow-y sunbeams pierce their way through the remaining leaves on the trees.  Those that have already shown their color and fallen to the ground make a satisfying crunch under my brown leather boots.  On the most brilliant of autumn days, the colors of the air seem to be a bit more orange and the sky a bit more blue.

Autumn is a time to whip out my heavy scarves and remember to bring my rain coat to work (it is the rainy season here, afterall).  It's a time for long walks through the parks on Sunday afternoons (thanks Lyss).  It's a time for Saturday afternoon football (or futbol) games in that old sweatshirt.  Fuzzy slippers, big mugs filled with coffee or tea, warm blankets, chili cook-offs, fresh baked bread and other sweet treats....that cold and runny nose when you walk through town and the early morning fog that the morning train must pierce through all accompany this season.  Nickel Creek or Imogen Heap fill my headphones and I can't seem to get enough of the aptly named Autumn Film Project.

I'm stuck in May, going on November.  Family meals and Thanksgiving should be coming up soon, right? It's days like these when I wish I was back in Columbia, about to hop on my bike and ride down the Katy Trail to the winery on the bluff with my bestie, Becca.  Days like this when I'm reminded of all the times we biked around campus and ended up at Flat Branch for some pumpkin ale to finish off the ride.  Days like this when I wish I could see the splendor of Missouri in fall....

But as I see the changing of the seasons around me here, I can't help but feel a renewed sense of self.  The last few months have been pretty tough in a lot of ways and I feel as though I'm finally pushing out of that season.  This new autumn has ushered in a new outlook on life and a renewed joy in the people and places around me.  And now as I plan for the next steps in my life, I'll sit on the porch with my green mug of apple cinnamon tea and take in the sights and sounds of my African autumn....