Yellowing

In the span of less than a week, the pace of yellowing in the forest around Roundtop is picking up, especially in the understory. When I look closely, nearly every one of the smaller plants has some level of yellowing. On some it may be a single leaf, or it may be the edges of many leaves, or the lowest leaves may be yellowing.

Last week, the forest still looked like July. Today, it doesn’t. It looks more like a combination of August and September. With rain pouring down at the moment, it’s even possible that a few leaves will drop, forced down by the weight of the raindrops. I am especially attuned to the pace of that because every leaf that falls opens up the sky around the cabin a little bit. I am ready for that part.

I appreciate the new variation in the color of the forest. Green is a lovely color, but even a lovely color in monochrome loses its appeal after a while. That goes for life too. Whether it’s a daily routine that doesn’t vary or the people we are around, too much sameness soon grows into a rut. Sometimes I think fall is nature’s way of reminding me that change is not only a good thing but something to seek out every now and again just for its own sake.