They say if you cannot beat it, join it, or in my case, first write up your case, then let your curiosity beg the question, ” Is Autumn really that bad?” Give it a fair chance to prove you wrong by going out to explore the other side of the story, even though the grass may not be your usual saturated green on the other side. Conclude and take photographs for evidence.
I have spoken about fall before. The short version is it’s not spring or summer. I don’t go out much during the colder seasons, and I have developed a kind of disinterest in it, that you could say I just bear with it until it’s over. I can’t remember really ever paying any attention to the changing scenery and colors during fall, all I knew was the low temperatures that I wanted to spend very little time in.
Fall hasn’t been bad at all this year. It took a long while before it got super cold and windy. On some days it was better than spring. I had been feeling kind of in a rut these past few weeks and I was in real need of some fresh air or perspective, whichever came first. I don’t remember where and how exactly I stumbled upon beautiful photographs of the fall foliage, but it changed everything. Yes, I have seen them before, countless times, but there’s something about being really desperate for fresh air and change that makes you really open your eyes. The very next day I went out to embrace this “fall thing” (that’s what I told my mom). Coincidentally, I live in a neighborhood, that is surrounded by tress, parks, farms, and lakes. Talk about really turning a blind eye, right?
It was about 70 degrees outside the day I decided to go out to the park, the sun was just lowering its golden light towards the trees and the shadows were making their way around the corners of buildings. I took my camera with me and started to walk around. I cannot explain what I felt when I came across the beautiful red and yellow leaves, the calm lake and the geese that sailed on it, the beautiful highlights the sun made around everything, the cool winds and the beautiful colors it spread across every time it passed through. It was healing. I walked slowly in what literally felt like my own world, and each step and consequent snap of my camera felt like a road to recovery. I was lost in it and empowered by it at the same time, I couldn’t believe a lousy discomfort had been in the way of feeling this beautiful. There’s something about nature that removes every sense of loss or lack.
Every other day since then, I explored new places, down the street from my house, private property, downtown, parks, rivers, chasing the colors of the wind.
I chose the title of this post not only based on the content, but also because I identified with the words of the original song from the Disney film, Pocahontas. The lyrics are beautiful and powerful, and though it speaks into a deeper context, it reminds me of everything I felt the first day I went out to shoot: Opened eyes, an open mind, and a very grateful heart. Thank God. Here are my favorite verses from Colors of the Wind:
Listen to Colors of The Wind
“But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You’ll learn things you never knew you never knew”
“Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once never wonder what they’re worth”
“How high will the sycamore grow
If you cut it down, then you’ll never know”