"Dear October"

I never really understood why autumn is associated with sadness. Perhaps it is the uncertainty of the season.  I don't know if summer has ended of if winter has already begun.  It is the in-between and most of us don't do very well with it (more on that later).  Most of rather us would rather be in the glitters of summer, or under the covers of winter.

For me, October has always been the most inspiring time of the year. Perhaps because I like life like that - fully open, ready for me to take it on - naked to the core. October allows me to see what things are really made of. No more hidden tree trunks under millions of leaves that have lost their identity in the green.  No more flowers that all look alike. No more trashing the water of the sea, no more hiding under the snow.

Fall is when everything is raw and visible. Fall is when you see what the tree is really made of, and how many colors in the leaf really make that green.  Fall comes raw and natural. It doesn't hide behind sunscreens, and snow-cones. It doesn't cover itself with holiday lights.  What it does is strips us of all the pretentiousness, and let us face our raw emotions. But people don't like that.  Perhaps that's why they think it's sad. Why would we ever want to face how we really feel, who we really are when it's so much easier to pretend feeling happy under the mistletoe, and put on a fake smile on the beach.

Perhaps, that's why I like fall. It's no nonsense. It strips me down to my core. Challenges me to be one with myself.