It’s mid-October, and for the last couple of weeks I’ve been noticing leaves. Washington State is the Evergreen State, but there are many varieties of deciduous trees in the area that lose their leaves each fall. They turn glorious shades ranging from golden to russet.
Autumn has definitely come to the Seattle area. Daylight is down to under 11 hours per day. We’ve had a mostly sunny summer, but many mornings recently the skies have stayed gray and the temperatures are much cooler. A recent weather forecast said the days of 70-degree highs are behind us, and some recent days haven’t made it out of the fifties. We walked in a park this weekend and noticed how many leaves had already fallen. And on Monday morning I looked out my window and saw the Olympic Mountains coated with their first snow of the season.
(The following pictures are not the most colorful trees I’ve seen, but most of those I’ve seen while driving. So these are the best trees I could photograph.)
Not only has autumn come, but winter won’t be far behind. By the December solstice, we’ll be well under nine hours of daylight, and by then, our average high temperature will be in the mid-40s. The dreary season in Seattle starts in November and lasts into January. Or longer.
My husband and I have lived here for a year now, and this is our second autumn. Just like the trees, we are putting down roots.
By happenstance, I read an article this week on rootedness. The author wrote of his move from the south of England to Yorkshire in the north. He and his wife wanted to become rooted in their new community. He wrote that people seeking rootedness should
- Embrace the fact that “where you are is where YOU are.” Don’t worry about where you might be in the future (or, I add, where you’ve been in the past), but focus on being where you ARE. Learn about your new community, which I have tried to do about Seattle.
- Seek to be a blessing in your new place by investing your time, talent, and treasure there. And I’ve been trying to move our charitable donations from institutions in Kansas City to charities and museums and other community organizations in Seattle and elsewhere in Washington State. Maybe our donations will just be a drop in the bucket to make our new community a better place, but they can’t hurt.
- Remember that this place may be your forever place. The future is not certain, and even if you think you might move on, it’s possible you won’t. My husband and I moved to Seattle with the intent to be here for the long haul (though the long haul is shorter than it used to be), so this point is not difficult for us. Still, we must remember to treat our new community as where we’re likely to be for a long time. It is our home.
As the leaves turn and we face a new season, we have a choice. We can accept where we are and try to belong, or we can mourn what we have left behind. Two weeks ago, I wrote about what I missed about Kansas City (which also has lovely displays of autumn leaves). Today, I acknowledge that I must root myself where I am.
When have you had to choose to belong where you are?
Whether making that decision involves a geographic place or an emotional/situational place, I have made those decisions and been better off as a result. Not always easy, is it? However, it is very healthy to do so.