The fall season is so full of sensory pleasure. When I was a little boy the season meant the smell of burning leaves, and even now in the day of leaf blowers and plastic bags my nose tingles. The majestic beauty of the leaves turning colors reminds me of my college days and the huge multi-colored maples lining the streets of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Our skin recognizes the morning chill and the warmth created by blankets, warm sweaters, and the season’s first fire. Even the fall tastes of hearty soups, hot meals, and comfort food served at tail gates heighten our senses’ welcome of the season.
The season also feeds our spirit. As we watch the trees shed their leaves our spirit joins the annual ritual of emptying and clearing. Our spirit reacts to the season and asks what do we need to shed in our life. I bet you can think of a few material things such as clothes in the closet or food in the pantry that could better be used to clothe and feed those who don’t share our bounty. We also can use a good dose of shedding anxiety about the future, the need to control our fate, and those leaves of worldly attachments we need to let gently drop.
Enjoy the fall season — all its sensory pleasures and the spiritual lessons it offers.
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