Autumn Revisited

I love fall. It is my most favorite season of all, and every year since we moved south, I always lament over the lack of color and miss autumn in the northeast. I can't say that this year will be any different. But we've made it over the scorching mount of August and are on the downward slope to cooler temperatures. Thank goodness.

Stepping outside in the cooler mornings this week reminded me of autumn last year. It was by far the most perfect season I've experienced here -- cool, crisp, and full of possibility. In my mind it's sort of romanticized, mostly due to the fact that I was pregnant and survived the fright of the first trimester and knew that the pregnancy would stick. It was the last autumn before I became a mother.

I revisited some old photos as I transferred them from our old computer to the new, and can honestly say I took full advantage of the season. We hiked in the woods, visited the farmer's market, and spent plenty of time walking around the neighborhood. It was the first time I had really paid attention to my surroundings and tried to capture them with my camera. And, not to be overly dramatic, it was a rebirth of the creativity that had propelled me through childhood.

As we've been waiting to move, I've realized that my creativity has been stifled. My sewing stuff is packed up, the house is a mess, and every day has felt like work. I'm looking forward to having a new house to decorate, spaces to fill with photographs and artwork and color, and a new perspective on the ordinary aspects of my life.

I hope for this autumn is that it will be bursting with creativity, just like last year only better. Now I have Lily. Everything has just that much more meaning. Though it's certainly not all sunshine and roses, the most amazing and inspiring thing I have is watching that little girl grow and learn and change.

Perhaps she is my muse.

(How's that for overly dramatic?)