As I substituted my Capri pants and tank tops for long jeans and sweaters, I realized that October is a month about transitions, especially here in East Tennessee where we’re most fortunate to experience four distinct seasons. Fall here is exquisite and lasts longer than the hiccup it takes for our northern neighbors to go from hot to cold. Here the leaves tease us before bursting forth in splendor. The days surprise us with their fickleness between hot and warm before adding cool into the mix of “guess what you’re getting today?” And now that it’s my job to pay attention to what this month offered my life, I’ve realized how this season created transitions of all kinds that define the rhythm of life. 
October means I take one more shell out of my bowl of 12 that bids farewell to another month of my life. Amazing how they’re flying by. The older I get the faster they fly. Hmmm, didn’t my mother always tell me that?
Let’s start with the colors because our landscape of forested mountains and meandering rivers invite tourists from around the country to leaf peep with us. I often marveled to my hiking partner, Jo, that “we live here!” After calling ETN home for 16 years I’m still breath taken by the kind of scenery most people vacation to see.
Autumn in the Smoky Mountain National Park should be considered among the natural wonders of the world. Each Thursday in October Jo and I drove an hour to reach a trailhead for our 7 plus mile hike. The most talented landscapers in the world would be challenged to match the natural magnificence we experienced each week.
The streams, wildflowers, forest and waterfalls offered the kinds of pictures that inspire great painters. It’s awe inspiring to recognize that no human put this landscape together, other than to clear out debris blocking trails. In fact, cascading falls are so impressive that a tourist was rumored to ask a ranger when the water gets turned off. Surely something so impressive couldn’t have just appeared!
Paying attention put me in touch with the awe-inspiring power of nature and the recognition that we are of it too. Like the natural landscape, humans go through changes when we allow our bodies to dance with the season. So do animals.
Horses at the Rescue started growing their winter coats. Their turnout shifts changed from staying in to escape the daytime heat to going outside and loving up the chill. Horses become quite playful when temperatures drop below 50 as though their sleeping pills wore off, freeing them to kick up their hooves in glee!
My 11-year old dog Pogo came alive too. He had a resurgence of energy on his morning walks, running up and down hillsides as though his joints no longer ached. Nine years ago he was the canine version of the Energizer Bunny, running all day only to finally collapse into sleep. Crisp fall mornings allowed me to experience this joyful pup again.
I also found that my interest in heading to a favorite greenway with my bike seemed to wane, even on the warm days. Instead, my walks grew longer and my yoga classes more frequent. Beverages changed from ice water to hot decaf, and for lunch, soup replaced a sandwich. I traded my sandals for shoes and socks and pulled my jackets out of their hiding places for those chilly mornings.
Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners have long recognized body changes with the seasons. So do yoga practitioners. I’ve found that by paying attention, I’ve felt those transitions too.
What did October bring you?
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