My falling out with fall
Evanston RoundTable, Sept. 20, 2023 I have a problem with autumn. And that’s too bad because for many people, it’s the nicest time of year: beautiful days, crisp nights, lovely colors. The air has a bracing tang and the light that diffused quality artists love. So what’s my problem? Winter. Fall is the gentle foothills, winter the dreaded mountain. Crazy, right? Just stay in the moment, I tell myself: appreciate the certain wonders of the present and forgo the possible misery of the future. My wife counsels me not to worry until I need to, adding with a laugh that she doesn’t always follow her own advice. And anyway, Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring? as Steve Winwood sings in one of my favorite Traffic songs. We may flit lightly through winter like a butterfly on milkweed plants. But such transcendence isn’t my strong suit. Instead, I imagine the biting winds, fixate on the frigid temps, anticipate the snow and slush, the split fingertips and aching hands. There’s the trivial aggravation of having to pile on six layers of clothing just to take out the garbage. And the existential danger of falling on ice, which for us seniors is a … Continue reading →