16 - Autumn
As a scorpio, I’m contractually obligated to do two things: Be a deviant freak, and gush shamelessly about the fall.
Though even if I didn’t have a November birthday, I’d probably still do the latter.
Autumn is hands down the greatest season this planet has to offer, and it’s not particularly close.
Especially because just like spring, it’s no longer promised every year thanks to global warming.
In our current reality, we’re only guaranteed summer and winter, locked in a year-long battle for who can snag some extra months to add to their respective seasons. Winter should begin in late December and end in late March. But it’s not uncommon for it to start in mid November and end in early April. Same with summer. There’s been years where I’ve had to use my air conditioner into late October, and the foliage during that time was almost nonexistent.
Will we have an actual autumn, or will it only last two weeks? You just never know. So the unpredictability and preciousness of it all gives the season some added heft.
But when autumn is actually autumn? Oh man.
The cozy sweaters, the pumpkin spice everything, the warm apple cider and corresponding warm cider donuts, the foliage, the long drives and subsequent hikes upstate to capture said foliage, Halloween - with all its sexy, sugary, horror-filled goodness. Thanksgiving, the official start of the holiday season. It’s a magical time.
Being in the season improves my mood, sparks my creativity, brings me closer to nature, and provides some much needed emotional healing. It’s therapeutic for me in that regard.
It’s honestly a huge reason I couldn’t see myself ever leaving New York, despite flirting with the idea of doing so one day (though if I ever meet my British soulmate, I’m moving to England without a second thought). Autumn isn’t autumn across the country, or the world at large. The glorious foliage and brisk but comfortable temperatures are saved for just a lucky few places. While the idea of living somewhere tropical where it’s summer all year round is tempting on paper, in practicality, it just wouldn’t work for me. Each season has its own personality and feel, and to live in an area that only provides one season, it cheapens the experience of that season.
Not to mention, some of autumn’s greatness stems from the failings of the seasons around it. Just like happiness is appreciated more when contrasted against suffering and depression - you need the harshness of winter, the allergies of spring, and the stickiness of summer to truly appreciate autumn.
It’s only after experiencing all four that you can see what makes it stand out above the rest.