The day has been as humid as this Georgia summer is long.  Sweat has been dripping down my back and chest and even the creases of my elbows all day.  It is officially october.  Autumn in most parts of the country, and yet as hard as I search I find no signs.  I try to open the windows and let in the autumn air but it’s no use.  The air conditioning still chugs on, even though I set it at a toasty 84.  The leaves, while they show tinges of red and maroon are still fresh atop the tree’s.  The air is still thick like mud.

Oh, I suppose I am being a cynic.  It is probable that this season of my birthday brings back little glimpses of a time where autumn meant change.  It meant fresh crisp air, and apples and pumpkins, and warm sweaters and wool socks.  But around here, as far as I can see those things are none to be found.

Of course, there are other hints of change in the air.  Things I never associated with the coming of the cold season before.  But, alas my brain is still malleable and I must have a brighter outlook.  We are smack dab in the middle of a glorious migration path.  Butterflies of the most glorious shapes and hues, hummingbirds that buzz by your ears at light speed, and giant storks pass through on their way to the tropical south florida.  Windy rains are becoming a welcoming event to cool the air just a touch.  Evenings below seventy have been known to happen.

So you see?  It is all in how you look at it.  And if you look at it.

SIgh.  Yes, I will continue to do just this.  Take a deep breath, look around and exhale… February.  It will come soon.  Soon enough.  And in the mean time I will continue to know this landscape in the most meaningful and real way I know how.

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, and drink the wild air.” -Emerson

Here is to the signs of autumn, whether they are knock down obvious or just a subtle shift.  Welcome.