As the November weather takes its turn towards winter, I already miss autumn. I love the temps cooling off  and all the colors fall brings; it’s the most popular season in the nation, with 29% preferring it (except those 18-34-year old’s, who prefer summer). I guess it’s largely nostalgia for me, because fall reminds me of good times and the promise of the holiday season to come. In college, the Drake campus provided an annual symphony reds, purples and stunning oranges with its hundreds of trees. I love the fall colors of Iowa.

I also think that seasonal changes are kind of a gut check. The reality of Iowa’s frigid winter and promise of a warm spring helps keep us more grounded, teaching us that as life hurries on and there is much to do, there are things we cannot control. No constant warm and sunny weather to lull us into a false sense of reality here. This the real world.

Our tree-lined street is a joy with all the warm fall hues, as much of Des Moines is. The colors are stunning, but of course that makes for a lot of leaves to rake up every season. That’s one of those jobs that makes me wonder: who decided leaves need to be bagged up and taken away? The American Forest and Paper Association? The Des Moines Public Works that charges for pick up? It’s bad enough to break your back raking and bagging, but then I have to pay for the privalege!

What is your favorite season? Do you feel that the changing of the season makes us a more stable person, better centered with the realities of life?