Noticing

Tonight I walked to our large park for my evening exercise. My hip and IT band have been giving me grief lately, signaling that I need to stop running until I buy a new pair of shoes. So, I donned my old running shoes and went walking instead.

After making my lap around the park, I decided to try out the swings. I was there, under an elm, my feet able to touch the high branches, looking at Mt. Olympus and Twin Peaks sheathed in the first snow, golden and shining in the glow of the sunset. The air was crisp, and my fingers started to feel numb with cold, but I kept swinging. These were the same mountains I'd look up at from my backyard swings growing up, as I would decompress the day by swinging and listening to my walkman.

As I swung tonight, I listened to my "Good Earth" playlist on my ipod - a playlist of folk songs. I felt this cool air. Autumn air has always made me feel that the mountains are speaking to me. As the breeze comes from the canyons, carrying the scent of leaves, pine, and campfires, it signals the turn of the season. I thought about the things that I'm putting away from summer, and looked forward to autumn:

• In summer I was running most days; now I will take more time for yoga and pilates
  
• In summer I spent time in my garden; now I'll spend time reading novels
  
• In summer I spent more time teaching; now I'll spend more time meditating
  
• In summer I ate fresh tomatoes every day; now I'll give myself leave to turn to comfort foods, such as zucchini bread and sweet potato pie

I think that this autumn is really a time for noticing miracles. Loved ones in my life are healthy and strong. Starting this weekend, the baby now has more than a 50/50 chance of survival after birth. The other night Kevin put his hand on my stomach and felt our baby move for the first time. To see the look on Kevin's face as father's gentle hand met son's little body through my abdomen reminded me what an astounding process new life is.

It's a great season.