late asters

late asters
Originally uploaded by c'estbonne

A pocket of sun, a glint on cold water, the lull of September warmth and a glacial stream's clear notes. No wonder these purple asters want to hold on, are reluctant to give up to the inevitable.

I was that way myself a few weeks ago when the weather turned cold and dreary too suddenly, too soon. I was not ready for the change, wanted to hold on to sunshine, felt disoriented from my resistance to autumn. But the effects of resisting change are one of the few constants in life: it always makes it harder, no matter what.

Fortunately, the sun came back for a spell just long enough to let me align myself with the seasons' will. Sentimental and neurotic as it may sound, I actually needed closure with summer. But sentimental and neurotic were how I felt, and summer obliged.

But after all, maybe the asters weren't holding on. Often observations are tinged with projection, and I could see a hundred different stories in a single plant's life if I wanted to. The flowers are just being themselves, until it's time for them to be different. Maybe that's all there is for any of us to do. Just be ourselves.