Make the best of autumn

Make the best of autumn

I love summer and everything about it, the longer days, sunshine, abundance of food, flourishing nature, busy streets, colourful clothes and the overall feeling of joy. I become more productive, physically active and generally more motivated. Summer makes life easier and happier, and I feel miserable when it ends. As soon as the weather turns chillier, and the first rains come, I start feeling the winter blues and put my life on hold until the “loud Southwester brings the singer, brings the nester” as Robert Frost so eloquently puts it in his poem. This year, however, I realized there is so much I love about autumn, and I decided to enjoy it and make the best of it.

Autumn food is one of my favourite things about the season. The bounty of seasonal fruit and vegetables is simply wonderful. Pumpkins, apples and cinnamon. Need I say more? Autumn is the perfect time to devote more time to cooking. Various sweet and savoury dishes we make in autumn fill the house with inviting smells and reward us with the feeling of warmth and delight. Pumpkin is a superfood because it is rich in vitamins and minerals, it is greatly nourishing and even has healing properties. When they ripen in autumn, we should use this gift and prepare our bodies for winter. Countless recipes are available online in different languages, but the best ones come from our grannies and old family recipes that remind us of our tradition and culinary legacy.

The most striking and gorgeous change in nature happens in autumn. Some years, when September and October are mild and dry, trees slowly transform from bright green to different shades of yellow, red and brown. Bright colours of flowers are replaced with pastel colours of trees, which gives the feeling of serenity and calm. The whispering winds of autumn are gentle, tranquil and refreshing. After a hot summer they gradually cool the air preparing us for the winter ahead. And then in November it is raining almost every day. But they are calming rains that invoke deep and careful thoughts and introspection. Our surrounding becomes quieter, thus our thoughts as well. Spending time with a good book and a cup of tea or taking a long walk in nature or the city is the best way to slow down and take a break from a hectic lifestyle we all lead today.

Autumn is not idle or inactive, however. There are so many things you can do and stay active despite unfavourable weather. My favourite thing is snuggling with my two cats under a comfy blanket and reading a good book while sipping tea or coffee. If it’s raining heavily and I don’t feel like going outside I like to watch a good documentary, again, under a blanket, with my two cats, who, on the other hand, love autumn. I am at home more and give them more attention and cuddles under our favourite blanket.

Spending time in my favourite café is another autumn ritual of mine. When it’s pouring outside and the cloudy, gloomy weather just won’t go away, the fastest way to cheer myself up is to get my gourmet coffee, which is a macchiato and various cookies and cakes, in one of the best local cafés in my city. It is called gourmet coffee for a reason and can brighten up the darkest day and chase away the clouds. Visiting your preferred café, alone or with friends, can be the change of scenery that you need in autumn when you are struggling to find joy in rainy days.

Every season is special in its own way. They all bring opportunities and new chances to enjoy life. In summer, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In spring, when life gives you flowers, make a flower crown. In winter, when life gives you ice, make iced tea. And in autumn, when life gives you colourful leaves, make confetti.

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