Coffee Table Declarations
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
I usually like fall. This year however, I have been fighting fall tooth and nail. I am still wearing summer clothes whenever possible. I am still holding out hope for some good beach weather. If someone mentions fall, I politely turn away.
Today I donned my red rain jacket and headed out for lunch. The sky was dark gray and it was slightly windy, but not cold. I was thoroughly enjoying my walk and making peace with fall. I was reminded of college for some reason. That excitement of a new year, walking around campus in similar weather. Maybe not my college per se, but can't you just picture a college campus with some lush grounds and brick buildings, co-eds strolling around in the crisp fall air, wearing cable-knit sweaters and carrying books?
Something about the weather was very nostalgic, very New England. There were colorful leaves on the ground and the wind was gently blowing my hair and I felt quite comfortable in my red rain jacket. While not fully embracing fall, I was starting to feel content and I'll admit, even somewhat excited about the prospects of wearing cable-knit sweaters and strolling amongst bright foliage while carrying books. Or at least, carrying my lunch back to the office.
I went into a restaurant and ordered a sandwich, waited while it was made, paid for it, and stepped back outside. It was as if I had stepped into another dimension in space and time. The wind was no longer playful, it had turned into full on hurricane gusts. The gray clouds had turned black and it was starting to drizzle. I clutched my light rain jacket around me as I walked, the wind whipping my hair into a mess, my face turning red, and my ears literally aching from cold, the way they do in winter when you've been outside too long and they return from the brink of frostbite and start to thaw out.
I made it back to my building, thrust myself inside, and vowed never to let myself fall for fall's tricks again.
Today I donned my red rain jacket and headed out for lunch. The sky was dark gray and it was slightly windy, but not cold. I was thoroughly enjoying my walk and making peace with fall. I was reminded of college for some reason. That excitement of a new year, walking around campus in similar weather. Maybe not my college per se, but can't you just picture a college campus with some lush grounds and brick buildings, co-eds strolling around in the crisp fall air, wearing cable-knit sweaters and carrying books?
Something about the weather was very nostalgic, very New England. There were colorful leaves on the ground and the wind was gently blowing my hair and I felt quite comfortable in my red rain jacket. While not fully embracing fall, I was starting to feel content and I'll admit, even somewhat excited about the prospects of wearing cable-knit sweaters and strolling amongst bright foliage while carrying books. Or at least, carrying my lunch back to the office.
I went into a restaurant and ordered a sandwich, waited while it was made, paid for it, and stepped back outside. It was as if I had stepped into another dimension in space and time. The wind was no longer playful, it had turned into full on hurricane gusts. The gray clouds had turned black and it was starting to drizzle. I clutched my light rain jacket around me as I walked, the wind whipping my hair into a mess, my face turning red, and my ears literally aching from cold, the way they do in winter when you've been outside too long and they return from the brink of frostbite and start to thaw out.
I made it back to my building, thrust myself inside, and vowed never to let myself fall for fall's tricks again.
