Autumn

During my run this evening I passed through a fog bank of nostalgia. The weather was cool, if not approaching chilly, and leaves have started to change and detach from their summer homes--creating splashes of color along the black pavement.

It rained today on our walk along the river to The Trout Inn and while we sat inside the warmly light interior, sipping our drinks (and the best darn cider I've ever had) the rain dissipated and patchy sunlight came to welcome us. The cows along the path back stood passively by but looked at us with utter (HA! get it?) disgust when we posed for pictures next to them. All day the weather hinted of autumn chill and fog didn't completely ever lift.

But what all this reminded me of was the nostalgia was, well, Fall- and I how much I miss completely loving it. I miss the colors and the smells and the chilly wind. During my run I had an odd sense of longing for high school, for football games and spirit-band. It took me a while to locate the reason why I longed for highschool but I realized that its because I haven't experienced this change of seasons since then. My last positive memories associated with Autumn involve high school. But the last 3 years I've been in CA where nature exists in 2 predominate colors: green and brown. No blushes or oranges, yellows or golds. Nope. Just alive, and dead.

I'm so grateful for this trip because I've already learned so much in regards to my classes, written an essay and read more philosophy than I ever have (and I haven't even met my professors yet!) but I'm also finding joys in life that I normally over-look. I have time now to run and exercise and not worry that I'm not going to get something done. I walk everywhere and appreciate the time we have together as a group every morning and evening when we gather in the Hall for food. I appreciate that this trip has reminded me of things which I haven't had much time to think about or acknowledge in a while. I miss my home, family and friends terribly, but I believe my personal growth during this trip will be facilitated by a good amount of reflection. I'm excited for the possibilities and experiences to come.