Confession #4

Confession #4: I’m not as good a driver in the Fall as I am in other seasons.

          And I bet I’m not the only Flower Floozie with this seasonal affliction. I don’t talk   on my phone or reach for buttons to change the radio station but I do gawk at all the colors around me from the trees.

          I’m not such a terrible driver that I need to reveal the make and model of my car and the route I take to work so you can be sure to avoid driving in the general vicinity of me- it’s just that the trees capture more of my attention than other drivers.

          The Chinese pistache- ginkgos, big leaf maples and even the walnuts create a visual feast. If it makes you feel any better to be on the road with me, I have excellent peripheral vision.

          Fall is one of my four favorite seasons. I’m not a big fan of using the word favorite or the words ‘the best’ because I feel I’m limiting myself and experiences. I do sort of admire people so sure of themselves that they can use these words, but that’s just not way I am.

          I have used the word favorite on occasion like when I tell my son he is my favorite child. I only have one. And one time I made the best kettle of borscht I’d ever cooked and I think it’s because I used the best bunch of beets ever grown.  And I do have a favorite coffee cup. Someone gave it to me when I was eighteen and it’s sort of a miracle I haven’t broken it. Ziggy’s on the cup. He’s looking into his mug with a tea bag floating on top and he’s holding the string.

          So, you get the picture of me and favorites. I have lots of them and depending on the situation or season, my favorites (note the plural usage) change.

          So here’s an example of a typical fall drive for me…I was in my car yesterday morning at around 9:15 heading southwest. About 50 feet in front of me, I noticed a swath of yellow leaves drifting down from the sky heading across the road. I slowed from 30 MPH to 20 and my timing was perfect. The leaves swallowed me up and for the two seconds it took me to drive through them…plink, tink, tink.  I looked in my rear view mirror and no more leaves fell into the road. Too bad for the other travelers.

          Attention is important when you're driving. I know that, and I just want to reiterate that I really am a pretty good driver. I’m courteous and don’t speed so my glancing at the scenery is fairly safe (refer to example above).  And if I do feel I just cannot drive safely because I’ve spotted a tree I can’t look away from, I pull over to stare at the beauty in front of me. I breathe in the orange and scarlet hues that capture my soul and its need for some essence in this world then I get back in my car and hope I’m not late for work.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

                                                                             -Albert Camus