Now that the daylight begins to fail early, it’s a natural time to embrace all things warm and cozy.  For a long time I resisted the end of day light savings.  I just couldn’t bear the thought of long shadows at four in the afternoon. I never went so far as to invest in one of those simulated light therapy boxes, infusing a jolt of substitute sunlight into my psyche,  but I was curious about folks who did.  After several seasons of struggle, I decided to adopt the old ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ mentality.

So embrace it I did.  I changed my mind about my attitude toward dusk, or what I now prefer to call twilight. I began to look at the early fading as a way to justify burning intoxicating and indulgent soy candles.  I took up knitting.  I dusted off my crock pot, and voila - I found myself embracing the enveloping, though dimmer, joys of ‘falling back’ - or longer eves, as I came to see it.  Though I adore the long and light filled days of summer, I accept that all good things must come to an end, even if temporary.  To everything, there is a season.  It used to be hard for me to fully appreciate the vibrant beauty of the fall color, because I knew the stark, grey white cold of winter was looming.  Then one day I read somewhere that true gardeners appreciate the sculptural qualities of the very branches themselves during winter.  The artistic eye of the gardener is actually given an opportunity to study form in the landscape during this otherwise non inviting season.  This made sense to me.

The other day, when we first set the clocks back, and the early shadows were creeping, I lit the first candles of the season.  One of my daughters came in from outside, and said first thing - ‘Hey! How come it smells like Chrismas in here?’  She was associating the candlelight, and the fragrance, with a time and place, though a little in advance, as it was just two days past Halloween. 

It’s tracing the arc that I’m talking about here.  The continuim of living, in balance hopefully, with what we’re given, from nature, naturally.  I can’t fight the seasons, or the light, or the lack of it, but I can find a way to harmonize with it, is what I’ve learned.  Since that surrender,  I’ve made several soft and colorful wraps that only feel right around my shoulders come fall.  My crockpot meals would taste out of sync in the summer.  The apples?  Though we eat them year round, they are never better, never crispier or juicier,  than in the fall. 

Maybe that’s the flow we hear so much about .  The going with the flow I mean.  Swimming with the current sure beats swimming upstream.  Cozy candlelit eves, here we come!