The Beauty in Autumn

The sun shone brightly over the clear autumn day and the air had a crisp, chilly feel. I walked across the paved parking lot of a small church when I saw a woman backdropped by brightly colored fall leaves.

Trees surrounded the church and dotted the neighborhood, the colors were reminiscent of golden honey and pumpkin pie. The smell of woodsmoke floated on the cool Autumn breeze. The woman had raven black hair, skin pale as the moon and bright blue eyes. She turned to me and for a moment I swear she conjured up a gust of wind to blow her hair to the side. 

“Oh there you are” She said to me. She was not a stranger but this was the first time I had seen her in this light. She was both familiar and different. She walked up to me with an awkward and cute stride. Her walk reflected her personality; awkward and cute. 

We talked for a few minutes, our conversations were the same but something was different. We stood closer together than we used to and during the conversation she leaned against me several times. I felt a little crazy as I pondered the smallest of details. I wondered if I was being very observant of our changing relationship or if I was making it all up in my head.

I cast my gaze on the clear blue sky as I attempted calm. The two of us stood quietly in peaceful silence until she said “I should go”. I looked back down and saw her staring at me with her big blue eyes. She seemed like she was anticipating something. I grew increasingly nervous as I fumbled for words to say.

My old instincts decided my action for me as I moved forward to give her a goodbye hug. Normally this hug would be casual and friendly but that day I held her close for an extra second, let out a relaxed sigh and noticed she was hugging me just as tightly. She rested her head on my chest as both of her arms wrapped around my torso. 

 I let go and took a step back, we both said our awkward goodbye, then I turned and quickly walked to my car. On the way back to my car I realized how chilly it had gotten. I had lost track of time and temperature just by standing near her. I finally climbed into my car and sat slumped over as my mind raced and attempted to make sense of the events that just transpired.
When I was mentally ready I started my car and drove off down the road. The air was crisp and the trees swayed happily in the autumn breeze. I admired the natural beauty of Autumn as I drove and I felt relaxed.

Like the changing of the season I felt a change in my relationship with her. I could not say what caused the change, I can only say that there is no going back. 

Beauty in everything

Beauty is all around, even in a world that sometimes feels full of darkness and evil, beauty can still be found. It can be found in nature, brief moments when the sun shines through the trees just right or on a rainy day when the sound of rain on the roof and calm cool breeze in air come together and make a beautiful scene that can’t be described or recorded, only experienced.

Beauty can be found in the human race too. Too often people misuse the word and say “what a beautiful woman” but in reality she might be hot, sexy or attractive. If you saw someone who was truly beautiful in appearance you would know what it really looks like, after you recover from being stunned by it all. Attractive women are in magazines, beautiful women are scattered through the world like a spice. Then there is the beauty within, even those without stunning appearance might be so internally beautiful that they almost seem to glow. You can feel it when they talk and you can see it in their actions. They are the type of people that make you want to be a better person.

There is beauty is science too. From street lamps or city lights glowing in the distance on a dark night, to impossibly long numbers that seem incalculable. It is beautiful how random and complex the universe might seem or how unique DNA can be.

Some beauty makes you stop and think and some makes you smile. You might be able to find beauty so great that it can make you rethink your life. You might even see something so wonderful and perfect that you can’t stand looking at it. The sheer purity of it might make the ugliness of the world seem worse by contrast.

So no matter where you are, if you are observant enough and take the time, you can find beauty all around you and hopefully it will help you see the world in a better light.