Autumn Warmth

And so another week begins.
I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend.

It is difficult to grasp how quickly holidays are approaching. I'm going to have to start doing a bit of shopping and time is fleeting.

If was a beautiful crisp fall day in Boston. The skies were the crystal blue that you can only imagine in dreams, and the air smelled fresh and pure. It was as though each time I inhaled I was breathing new life into my soul. The environment of the season was invigorating and regenerated my well being, burdened of late with the wear and tear of the daily grind.

I enjoyed a pleasant walk with Kate this afternoon. I was relishing the breeze on my face and in my hair. Mindlessly I kicked up dried leaves strewn across the sidewalks and asphalt. I had to resist the urge to go find a pile on someone's lawn and jump into them with a smile upon my face. There won't be too many days here in New England, before the damp, marrow penetrating cold settles in and replaces the warmth of the late season sun.

As each season has its own beauty, we can soon look forward to the falling flakes amongst the sturdy bare branches of majestic oaks and maples. The street lights will cast their halo of warmth into expanses of gracefully descending frozen precipitation. It is a reminder for me of the holidays, family, love, and security.

One of my favorite things to do last year after returning from work was to head into Quincy market to do some Christmas shopping. Unlike the malls of the suburbs the downtown is a bit more sparsely populated mid-week in the winter. In place of the tourists of summer, or the stressed out soccer moms and screaming kids of the suburbs, you see young professionals and older retired couples. The young college kids excitedly think about their purchases as they skip over the rough cobblestones. Young professionals beam excitedly over a gift that only recently they couldn't afford. Their futures are filled with promise, and the outlook seems limitless. Meanwhile refined seniors, elegantly dressed, observe the youth with fond remembrance. They breathe in the proud city of Boston, decked out in its holiday best.

The cold air that burns your skin, only serves to enhance the contrast of security your winter layers provide. The cozy feeling you have walking in your parka and scarf, are merely a fraction of the warmth in your heart. I like shopping here because I like to think, many of the souls milling about are happy just to be basking in the warmth and ambiance.

Normally we are too preoccupied to appreciate the simple things like decorations on the trees and the beauty of nature descending on an urban setting. City life tends to rob people of a friendly gesture without an agenda. On those silent holiday Boston evenings, in the midst of stone and mortar placed by generations past, it isn't unusual to glimpse a smile from a woman you don't know, or catch the twinkle in the eye of an elderly gentleman. This is one of the simple things I look forward to as the inevitable solstice is thrust upon us.

Before I close out, I hope everyone's week gets off to a fantastic start!

Here's my find for the day, enjoy:

Pa. may let hunters use prehistoric weapon

I reckon I'll write more soon... Right know I think I'm going to head into the hills and spear me up tomorrow's grub!