Margaret Cheasebro

The colors of autumn leaves are especially beautiful in downtown Farmington, New Mexico these days. Recently I took a photograph of a young white oak with gorgeous orange foliage. It was one of several different types of trees planted in the sidewalk and nurtured by city of Farmington employees.

White oaks are known for their beautiful leaves that turn gorgeous colors in the fall. They are hardwood trees that host many insects. The insects feed a lot of birds. Birds, in turn, help to control harmful pests. They help with pollination that makes it easier for flowering plants to reproduce. The white oaks have valuable timber. They live a long time, and they provide lots of shade once they mature.

What I really liked about the young white oak tree in downtown Farmington was its variety of colors. As I studied it, I was especially drawn to the orange leaves. There was something about the orange color that made me feel better, stronger, a bit more energetic.

Some people like to take a drive in the early fall to view leaves' changing colors. In addition to enjoying that splendor, spending time among trees and bushes helps to make people feel more alive, more whole, more ready to tackle to-do lists.

If you ever feel a little down or out of sorts, think about a color that comes to mind. Close your eyes and imagine that color surrounding you and filling your body. Notice how the color makes you feel. Maybe you're a little peppier, more mellow. Then think of another color that stands out in your mind. Imagine it surrounding and filling you. Once you have done that with a few colors, your attitude might have improved quite a bit.

If your neighborhood is like mine, there are lots of trees surrounding houses. Try taking a walk around the neighborhood to enjoy the colors of changing leaves. It's a great way to put a livelier step in your walk, to fill you up with a little more joy.

Colorful autumn leaves offer us so many things. They are among the things that make fall my favorite season of the year.

Now that fall has arrived, the hot days of summer are receding, and tree leaves are changing from green to reds, oranges, yellows and other beautiful colors. It's more pleasant to be outside.

Not only does the temperature feel more comfortable to me, but it does to my dog as well. In hot summer months, she dug through dirt in the flower bed next to my house. She made big holes as she tried to find cooler dirt to lie in. That made more work for me. I filled in holes with gravel to keep her from making spots where rainwater could gather and leak into the house.

When I'm driving, I like to watch the leaves change hue. Trees are extra beautiful when their leaves turn so many different colors. When I walked to school in third grade in Hartford, Connecticut, I used to pick up huge red and orange leaves that fell on the sidewalk. I gently clutched them, my prize possessions, walked into my classroom and gave them to my teacher. She always oohed and aahed, making it sound like I had given her the most precious gift in the entire world.

Is it just the cooler weather and different colors that make fall so special to us? On the surface, that's the biggest reason. But on a deeper level, I think fall represents change. We are leaving the heat of summer with the activities of gardening, watering flowers, and enjoying summer vacations with our families and moving into a time of change. Change isn't always easy. We need time to adjust.

We wear clothes that keep us a little warmer. That means searching through our closets to switch out summer clothing for fall attire. Fall is giving us time to get ready for bigger changes that come with winter – the below freezing temperatures, snow, more indoor activities.

In winter, we spend more time inside with our families. That can be good or not so good depending on how well we get along with family members. It signals winter outdoor activities such as skiing, snowboarding, building snowmen and having snowball fights. So much change happens in a fairly short period of time.

Some of us are better at handling change than others. Watching the leaves change color in the fall is a reminder that things are going to get quite different as the weather turns a lot colder. Fall is a time for us to get used to that change at a more leisurely pace. Nature is creating time for us to adjust in a pleasant atmosphere.

Nature, I think, is a very wise and patient teacher. It helps us learn to adjust to all kinds of change in our lives that have nothing to do with changing seasons. Changes can be painful: saying goodbye to a friend, a death in the family, a loved one getting sick for a long time, moving to a new house, a new state, or even a new country. All of those things mean big changes in our lives. They are changes we are learning to adjust to as we move from summer to autumn.

Happy fall, everyone.