Friday, March 29, 2024
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Autumn is in the Air

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The moment could happen any time.. It could happen on the return trip from a well-spent day at the beach, a sudden, nonsensical obsession with plastic yogurt spoons could trigger it or maybe it’ll happen while simply  taking out the trash. Regardless of the how, it is unmistakable when it happens.

It’s the moment when the shifting seasons becomes apparent. It’s currently summer, but not completely. The heavy heat of summer is gracefully being replaced by a lighter, crisp alternative. Autumn is on its way.

I love autumn. I find that I’m pretty protective of it. For instance, sometimes I freak out over the fact that “fall” and “autumn” are synonyms because they don’t have the same connotation for me. This season deserves a name that does it justice.

In my ideal world I would love all seasons equally, yet, when autumn begins, the cozy warm coats that winter allows me to wear, the quaint breeze and flowers that spring provides me with and the productively lazy disposition that is my definition of summer are all forgotten. Just like that.

I’m a bit ashamed of the amount of fickleness involved here, but this feeling of shame is nonexistent in comparison to the wonder-filled three-month-spectacle that autumn provides.

Autumn feels light, airy. At the center of it all is the air. Autumn air, if only I could bottle it.

There’s a slightly sharp coolness present in the air during autumn that automatically wakes anyone up. There are distinct moments when, by walking outside or sitting on a bench, a crisp autumn wind will pass by and temporarily snap everything into a  higher focus, for the chilly breeze has an awakening effect. It’s absolutely wonderful to experience.

You may find yourself wanting to dance outside in the breeze; it already seems as though the air particles are dancing so you might as well join them. You might dare to think that maybe, just maybe, if you dance around long enough and even if you run fast enough, you can float. It’s a silly thought, but the way the air makes you feel lighter leads you to believe that in its essence, there’s nothing silly about it.

There are some songs that should only be listened to closely in autumn. Feel free to listen to your favorite songs any time during the year, but if you find yourself thinking about the juxtaposition of the subtle guitar strumming with the heavy bass in your favorite song or if you just want to analyze some lyrics to a new song you heard on the radio, you should do it in autumn. Outside. When there’s an almost constant breeze present. It may take some trial and error to find the right conditions for this, but it will be worth it, I assure you.

When you listen to a song closely in those conditions, it’s as if the autumn air wakes them up and they come alive. The guitar chords, the faint sound of the hi-hat in the background and the gritty voice of the singer all move with breeze. Everything in the song seems more deliberate and purposeful. All you have to do is sit outside completely still and just observe the movement of tree leaves caused by the breeze and the invisible movement of your favorite song all around you.

Sometimes songs come at you and they hit the right spot. You know what I’m talking about. Well, songs don’t just come straight at you, they have to hit you at the correct angle and that angle is rarely ever ninety degrees. But that’s what the crisp breeze of autumn is for, the movement of the air causes movement of the music and this creates the perfect atmosphere and opportunity for your favorite song to hit you in such a way that you’ll be able to absorb everything wonderful about it.

Often times I do find that the autumn air carries with it a sliver of nostalgia; and I do mean a sliver. There’s nothing heavy about this particular brand of nostalgia but rather it’s faint and exists as a very dewy part of the backdrop of this season. Any smell can be smelt or any song can be heard during this season, and once it is you’ll have a very high chance of feeling nostalgic for it at some point during the year.

Autumn is a season that I hear people talk about quite a lot. People usually says things like:

“This cool air means pumpkin spice lattes are coming!”

“The holiday cups at Starbucks mean it’s finally autumn!”

“Why is it cold? I forgot my jacket.”

I say those things too, well some of them, but I stand firmly on what I believe to be the most wonderful part of autumn: the air. Also the fact that I get to wear that beautiful navy blue jacket that I bought months ago when it was too hot to even consider wearing a cardigan.

But really, the air.