I remember in school we were asked what our favorite things were. Our favorite color, our favorite song, our favorite season, etc. Some were simpler to answer than others. For me the hardest of those three was easily what my favorite season was because I enjoyed them all. I was the kid that would ask why we had to choose a season. Why can't we love all the seasons equally? They each have their special moments and memories that stay with us for the rest of our lives. I remember being torn as I sat trying to decide between the things that I liked about each season and struggling to come up with something for the paper we were required to write on it. If I were to write about what I love most about the seasons there would be pages and pages of information to go through. I had to keep it short and sweet so that wouldn't work very well. I finally decided that I would just start writing and decide when it all came out what my favorite season was. The result didn't help me decide, but it gave me an idea. Why not right about my favorite thing about each season? The result pleased me, but I'm not sure that my teacher was quite as thrilled as I was since I was given a C for "not following directions". The comments on the paper itself were encouraging so I figured I would share.
The seasons come and they go no matter how hard we may wish for one to stay or for it to leave. Upon reflection I have decided that what I love most about the seasons are the quiet moments of enjoyment that come along with each and every one of them. For every season I have a list of things that I enjoy and look forward to.
For spring there is an abundance of color. It's as if Mother Nature has awakened and painted a masterpiece for all to share. Flowers bloom in the most unlikely places and give a touch of cheer to everything around them. I like taking long walks along the path behind my house during the spring and just taking it all in. The color, the sounds, the smells and the feel of the air are magical. It's as if you've went back in time to a place where time has no meaning and where everything is at peace with everything else. I would walk down to the brook and just sit on a rock. My imagination would run wild at such times. I would see a fern with some flowers in front of it being moved gently by the wind and would think of faries gently tending their homes. I would look up at the canopy of trees with their gently swaying branches and would think of the strength of dragon wings behind the wind. Spring is a time of awakening not only of nature but also of imagination.
Slowly spring would turn into summer. Summer was always the time of festivals and car shows. We would all brave the heat for a few days to go to a parade, have a car wash or even just to go swimming in the lake which would finally be warm enough to stand. With everyone out of school there were gatherings galore for anyone who wished to participate. My favorite part of summer was always watching the fireworks on the Fourth of July. We would always go early and find a good spot. We'd usually go to the park with a packed dinner. Then we'd lay out blankets to protect us from the dirt and wait till it got dark. We'd listen to the radio station which would broadcast music life from the convention center where the fireworks were held and wait for it to get dark. Then the sky would come to life, brilliant flashes of color and design set to music of the most triumphant nature. For yet another year we were all free.
Fall was a more mellow time, but still full of activity. There would be pumpkin patches where you could pick your own pumpkins and harvest festivals where you could browse the artwork of the people in the community. Then there would be the haunted houses which we would put on every year, trying to outdo the creativity of the year before. The most memorable to me was the year that we dressed up as victims of the black death. What we did wasn't as memorable to me as what was next door to our part of the haunted house. The next room was the insane asylum. A line that will always stick in my memory was "I am Superman! Superman can fly!!!" which was followed by a huge thud of someone hitting the ground. I never got a good look at what they actually did in there because I couldn't wear my glasses, but it sounded hilarious and fun!
Winter is never sweeter than when enjoying the warmth of a fire and a good glass of spiced apple cider. Just sitting around the fire on our back porch and enjoying the stillness and quiet that comes along with snowy winter nights. If there is anything about winter that I miss year round it is these nights of simple reflection and relaxation. Nothing else in the world mattered, everything else could wait other than just enjoying the simple gift of warmth on a cold night.
To define my likes to just one season seemed raw and boring to me at the time and in reflection it still seems the same. Nothing in life can be defined as simply as like and dislike. We often just dislike parts of things or situations. Existence is so much more than just black and white, why take a beautiful picture with vibrant colors and degrade it so? As for me, I refuse to allow such beauty to go to waste even if it means that I don't follow the instructions. I'd rather be a rebel any day!
Well, self challenge number one completed! I'm not sure what I plan to do tomorrow, but the goal is to write something else tomorrow. Wish me luck!
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