The Changes of the Season

The Changes of the Season

By: Christine Hersom

(4 mins)

Do you have changing seasons where you live? I suppose everybody experiences some sort of season change. I live in Central New Hampshire, which has four seasons. According to the calendar, about every 13 weeks, our seasons change. I have lived here for 57 years, and we say, “If you don’t like the present season…wait five minutes, and it will change.” I wish each season only lasted 13 weeks. In my part of the country, we have four seasons. Then we experience what we like to call the second summer and second Winter. These changes are when our weather warms up after being cold and/or freezes back up after a thaw. Our most priceless season change in the Northeast is mud season. This season is when the ground freeze lets go, and the world as we know it turns into six inches of mud. Unless you have experienced such horror, there is no way to explain it. The best way to explain mud season is the time when everybody parks in the road so they do not lose their vehicles. Muck boots are a regular part of our attire.

We are at the beginning of a season change here in the Northeast. On the calendar, the Fall Equinox is September 22. Here in New Hampshire, Fall comes to visit about the time the children go back to school. At the end of August, the days are shorter, and the nights are cooler. Often, we in the Northeast start our wood-burning systems. Now when I go outside, instead of the smell of fresh cut grass, I have the smell of wood-burning heat. I have always liked the smell of wood burning. A nice fire makes me feel warm and safe. Although it seems early this year, the leaves are already starting to change. The leaves are turning from a bright green to sassy yellows, fire reds and blazing orange.

The smell of Fall is entirely different from Summer. It has a brisk, crisp, sharp smell. The smell of Fall is the leaves, trees, and flowers slowly dying and going back into the Earth. Ewww! Right? It isn’t as bad as it sounds. It is a sign that the Earth is preparing itself for the long Winter and giving itself a head start on the coming Spring. Many people associate the smell with a pleasant harvest smell. I tend to start feeling more melancholy with the smells of Fall. While Fall in New Hampshire is beautiful, it reminds me of what is to come…Winter! I dislike Winter. I hate the cold, snow, and ice.

The changing seasons are also happening in my body. With it getting dark earlier, my body wants to start hibernating. I go to bed earlier and sleep longer in the morning. I find myself getting ready for the day with a flannel shirt or hoodie instead of a sundress. My desire for exercise is moving into the background. I must force myself to move in the Winter. While I will go out for a bit in the Fall, I am finding myself staying inside and enjoying the sights through a window. Winter is coming.

Another change in season has occurred in the world this year. Britain’s beloved Queen Elizabeth II has passed on. This one hit hard. I am not British, but she has been the reigning monarch my entire life: such a beautiful and classy lady. The season in the Monarchy has changed for the British. I hope they can embrace the changes.

For me, this year has brought home the changing seasons. My two oldest grandchildren have moved to a different school district. They have gone back to in-school learning. I have homeschooled them both for the past two years. With homeschooling, I have had the pleasure of their company every day for the past 2 ½ years. With the season changing, I will now only see them once in a blue moon. I have never had to “schedule” time to see my grandchildren; they have always been there. This is a new season for me.

Time goes on, and it is time for them to spread their wings and learn to fly on their own. The seasons change for us as people, too. I have left my youthful season and am well into my mid to late season. The bones ache a little more. I am less daring than I used to be in my youth. I do not give much thought to the seasons changing because it happens every year. Yet, as stated above, this has been a year of changing seasons.

I do have some happy changes this year. I am now a published author. This is something I have wanted to be for as long as I can remember. This season’s change has been the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

So, a point to be made here is that we shouldn’t look for the “bad” parts of the changing seasons but look for good. How have we grown and flourished? What is our body doing to prepare itself for the next season? Be aware and embrace the changes instead of fighting them. Change happens. Embrace and learn from it.

Christine Marshall Hersom
All Things Wellness, LLC
christinehersom@yahoo.com

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