Swirling Colours

As the leaves fall around me, I look up to the grey sky. It isn’t very intricate today, just a thick sheet of grey. Rain’s coming.

That’s okay, though. That means I can imagine things onto the blank canvas that serves as a sky for us people on Earth. 

Right now, I’m thinking of cerulean heavens, with clouds that look like an artist painted them floating overhead, all streaks and fades. 

There’s an eagle flying above me, circling the hiking trail lazily and calling out once in a while. 

I love rain, too. Many people don’t, and they say it’s dismal and dreary. I disagree. 

I mean, sure, it can be really depressing and wet, but there are good sides to rainstorms too. 

For example, I think rain is mysterious and magical. I coined the term ‘mysterical’ when I was a child, and I still use the word to this day to describe the beautiful natural phenomenon that is rain. 

When there’s a drizzle, I still sit in my cosy livingroom while reading a book and simultaneously toasting my feet on the fireplace. But when there’s a downpour…well, I act like a kid again. 

I go out onto my porch and twirl in the rain, dancing in and out of puddles, raising my face to the crying clouds. 

And when I come inside again, I’m soaked and freezing, but I’m grinning from ear to ear because I’ve had the time of my life. 

When I drive to work in the rain, I see so many children walking to school, their raincoat-covered heads down, trying to shield themselves from the pouring water. But one day, I see a little girl in bright red rainboots. She’s dancing in the puddles like I do, laughing and smiling all the time. This girl reminds me of myself when I was young, singing and twirling in bare feet on the porch in the middle of a rainstorm. I feel kinship with her, and I’m tempted to join her. We are united under one raincloud, us rain-lovers. We need to stick together, and dance and twirl and sing in the rain together.

I feel at peace out in nature, like I really belong. The fresh air feels good on my face, and I love the crispness of the air when I inhale, the cold oxygen in my lungs. 

The weather isn’t bad today, but it’s freezing for an October afternoon. I feel myself shiver in my coat. 

Of course, I’m not wearing my winter coat quite yet, so I only have my jean jacket or my trench. I chose the trench coat today, because I looked at the weather on the app before leaving the house. 

Going hiking has become a regular occurrence for me, and I’ve cleared lots of space in my busy work and home schedule to hike into the mountains at least once or twice a week. Hopefully more if I can get it, but I take what I have and don’t get fussy about it. Any time outside is a good time.

Hiking is healthier for me, but that’s only one reason why I like to do it. 

It’s therapeutic for me, and it washes all my bad thoughts and memories away, as well as clears my mind and gets me ready for the day. My boss tries to let me go out lots, because he knows that I work better when I’ve been out in the mountains that morning.

I try to go out in the mornings, when the air is crisper. Fresher. 

But, since it’s Saturday and I don’t have work, I’m out in the afternoon instead. 

I actually don’t mind hiking in the afternoon; it’s quite pleasant. But I can’t do this every day, so I enjoy it while I can. 

As the seasons change, I always feel happier, and I open my heart to the new season and get ready for it. 

Once the first snowfall of winter comes, I grab my toboggan and gloves and head to the mountains for some sledding.

For spring, I get out my rain gear and prep my seeds to go into the ground. 

For summer, I dig my swimsuit out of the closet and buy new sunglasses because I always break my last pair the previous summer. 

For autumn, I go outside and play in the leaves like a child again. 

I feel that you should let yourself be a child sometimes, even if it’s only for a moment. It’s good to stay in touch with your childhood, and to never let those memories go. Besides, it’s fun to be a kid. You don’t have to worry about taxes, a job, houses, or any of those boring adult things. 

When I finally reach the top of the mountain, I look around at the autumn glory of it all. You can see everything from up here, from the grove of pines at the foot of the peaks to the lush green hills in the distance. 

There’s a beautiful view up here, which is why it’s one of my favourite places to go to relax. 

I rest my gaze on the fog over my town. We’re little, but proud.

That’s our town’s slogan, and it’s everywhere. It’s the school’s motto, the grocery store’s, everything. Even some houses have a sign on their front lawn that says those words. 

I, personally, find it weird and tacky. I mean, who plasters that cheesy thing all over the place? 

I was one of the people who didn’t put that motto up anywhere on my house.

Starting to descend the mountain, I hitch my small backpack up my shoulders. 

I’m almost stalling now, not wanting to go back to my regularly scheduled boring life. But I don’t think you’d want to leave paradise either. Who does? 

Because that’s what the mountains are like. 

Paradise. And it’s a piece of heaven on Earth, for sure.

And that’s why I love it up here. The sheer excitement in nature.