Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year.

 The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple...

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I find that it is far too easy to get lost in the humdrum of daily obligations. Tunnel vision develops. Get up, get Kiddo ready, drop him off at school, go to class, run errands, pick Kiddo up, drive to the Y for lessons, make dinner... lather, rinse, repeat. How will I get to CrossFit? If I move this, I can do it here. But then this has to budge. When will I find time to... ?  My life often seems lived in hours rather than in days, weeks and years. This is something I struggle with as I often feel like I lose a bit of personal freedom when I don't allow tomorrow and the next day to arrive organically. While planning is important, over planning stifles my creativity and, sometimes, my optimism.

When last Saturday rolled around I was ready to roam. Aimlessly. I also realized I hadn't picked up my camera in some time. It's my lifeline in a way, a means of seeing outside what can become a rather narrow view of my daily existence. We quickly tidied up the house, in the event we got a call about a showing, and headed out. 

We wandered in a general direction and ended up at an orchard we visited once several years ago. Unlike the two larger orchards we frequent, this is a small boutique orchard with many unique, unfamiliar varieties of apples. Arkansas Black was my personal favorite, as it looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale. We left with a peck of fun new flavors and colors only nature could create.

I missed seeing the world through my camera's lens. I see textures, angles, and colors I might otherwise overlook. We are in the heart of a New England fall, our last, and it would have been a shame to view it solely from the driver's seat of my car while heading to and fro. To view such beauty passively as opposed to total immersion is to rob myself of a certain joy that rolls around but once a year. Today brought stormy weather and fierce winds which served to scatter the colorful foliage like confetti. Thank goodness I had that much-needed moment of clarity and stepped outside of my head... or I may have missed it altogether.

Although the sky was overcast, and Mother Nature felt a bit melancholy, it was an amazing day. The rain held back, sensing that I needed those few hours outside. The temperature was blissfully mild. I went into my week feeling renewed.