Walnuts, leaves, and apples, Oh My!

I don't need a calendar to tell me that Fall has arrived. I can tell by the walnuts, leaves and apples that sprinkle my yard, deck and driveway turning them into obstacle courses. It seems no matter how hard we try we cannot keep up with the pace of nature as it deposits it's wares. Sure it can all be a pain, but autumn has always been my favorite season. I like the winding down of outdoor activities and chores as we begin to focus more on the inside. And, growing up on the farm, it always signaled a time of harvesting and gathering what you have grown and produced. I still can't help but feel I need to be using every last tomato, apple and squash before the first freeze.

It can also be a time of reflection and introspection as we hopefully have more time for reading, thinking and creating in the months ahead. This month in my e-newsletter I shared the fact that our two large walnut trees result in surprise bombs that can hit us at anytime as we cross the yard; much like life hits us with unexpected circumstances and challenges. Sometimes we can dodge the bad stuff that tries to get in our way, but sooner or later we get hit. We always have a choice, deal with it the best we can, bury our head in the sand or bring confidence and power to our life by marching on with a great attitude to boot! My choice today is focus on the upside and before you know it it will become automatic. Hmmmm, that might involve making an apple crisp so apples don't go to waste!