Vol IV: #56 New Favorite Season
My whole God-loving life, I been a big fan of autumn. I love the cooler weather and shorter days, perfect for a proper barbecue. College football is on the TV. And there’s the brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows of the trees. Naturally if follows, a shit ton of my favorite memories were produced in the fall including visits to the South Carolina State Fair and tailgating with my brother under old growth hickories in Clemson. And if all that wasn’t enough, Thanksgiving was a holiday built for people like me. Gimme all the people I love, some football, and bunch of food. I’m set.
Autumn will maintain a special place in my heart, no matter where I live. The fact the air temperature drops from boiling hot to pleasantly cool is enough to warrant special consideration. Weather worthy of a hoodie is the best weather. But, I’ve begun to love a new season, wild as it is to do so.
Spring is my new favorite season. In Redding it is special and often under appreciated. Wildflowers bloom and cover the parks and hills with bright yellows, violets, oranges, and reds. The trees are alive and pushing their new light green leaves toward the sun. Flies hatching from the Sacramento River and local creeks bring flocks of migrating birds. And the clouds are fluffy and make dramatic demonstrations as they march across the valley from the Trinity Alps to the Cascades. They are at their best at sunset when the sun is low and reflecting purple and oranges off their undersides. And like autumn, Spring brings a change in temperature and weather. Gone are the frosty days, the dull overcast skies, and day after day of cold rain. All of it replaced by warm afternoons and the occasional shower.
Spring is also the most sociable season in Redding. Life has returned and we must make haste before summer arrives(like Europeans and their three weeks of summer. Suns out, guns out. Nothing but pale people laying in the grass until the sun goes down.) The city hosts a rodeo to cap off a week known as Cool April Nights. There’s a hot rod show and pancake breakfast. My neighbors plant flowers and clear their yards of junk and the smell of grilled meats fills the evening air.
What I observed this year is how often Spring can feel like winter one day and summer the next. It’s not a neat and tidy transition from winter to summer. No, no, no. Thank God, no. What kind of weirdo reality would that be? We already experience the consistent heat of summer and cold of winter. Why should the switch be clean and easy? Because. We are stupid and unwise. Hilariously, we crave ease and comfort despite our experience and that of everyone before us.
We know some days are hot and heavy and boil our humanity, while some are black and frozen and miserable. And we know some days we beautiful. And my hope for me and us is we grow through all the kinds of days and that our lives are full of color and shape. Personally, I want to lean into the pain of growth rather than the subtle comfort of death. (Aimless dying is a whole easier than living with purpose.) I (we) can bloom and reproduce and be the most glorious versions of ourselves. And it will be in spite of the challenges, not for lack of them.
