I love summer. I like warm weather. And while summer is my favorite season, fall is not far behind. There is something special about the crisp air and crunching leaves that make fall pretty high up on the best seasons list.
While leaves are not fun to rake, they are fun to play in, at any age. Last week I loved watching my five kids play in the leaves, making “leaf angels”, burying themselves in leaves, throwing leaves in the air and of course jumping in piles.
As a former cross country runner I loved running this time of year. I loved that crunch of leaves as you hit the trails, though trails became a little harder to navigate this time of year as they became covered with leaves. My college coach used to discourage trail running late in the season as he used to say “it’s like a death march” which we always laughed at because it wasn’t as bad as he made it out to be but I understand the concern for rolled ankles and falls heading into the most important meets of the season.
As I’ve been thinking about how much I like fall, one of my favorite pictures from coaching popped up in my memories. It was of the team throwing leaves and jumping in the air after a meet. It made me realize we are never too old to play in leaves and enjoy the magic of the fall.
Now I enjoy the crunch of leaves on neighborhood sidewalks as I walk. I enjoy the colors of the leaves changing. I enjoy the crisp air each morning and evening. I enjoy seeing my kids play in the leaves and enjoy this beautiful season called fall or autumn.
While it may not be as warm or relaxing as summer, fall is a close second for the best time of the year for me. I fall in love with this time of year each September and it the love grows a little stronger each year.
#fall #autumn #seasons #leafs #leafpiles #fallfun #xc #trailrunning #crosscountry
