Fall Has Arrived!

It’s finally here and you can feel it as soon as you step outside. It has grown increasingly chilly over the last few days, and when I walked to class today a common sweatshirt was barely enough. I found myself frustrated that my hoodie wasn’t just a little bit thicker—you know how you can feel the wind coming through a few specific gaps in the stitching… no bueno. Huddling in closer on yourself isn’t much help either; it just causes other parts to get cold. Let’s face it people… fall has arrived!

Aside from half way freezing to death (and I say only half way because the temperature right now is blistering compared to what we will be experiencing in just a few months) fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love when it gets a bit chilly because that says to me that Halloween is coming! And that is by far my favorite non-religious holiday. I love the eerie feeling that this time of year brings. I don’t know what it is, but something about it makes me feel slightly… nostalgic? It could be from the memories of trick-or-treating when I was younger. Or it could be the anticipation of being able to jump into a giant pile of raked together leaves, which yes, I still do. It’s as the leaves start to change into beautiful hues of red, yellow, and orange that the memories start to become reality again. They act as a reminder of how beautiful things can get here right before everything dies and all hope of a bearable winter go right out the window. It’s time to throw on that scarf and face the elements head on.

To me this is one of the most colorful seasons also. Not only does nature change its colors, and very rapidly might I add, but people change their colors too. I find it fun to watch how people start to mimic the colors that nature has chosen. We see more reds and oranges at this time I think than at any other time in the year. Browns too become increasingly predominant as the season progresses. Being in an art major here at Purdue I feel that I notice things like this maybe more than your everyday engineer walking down the sidewalk. One thing I have found myself doing while walking on campus is squint so all the colors blend together; sort of like a painting. Autumn is my favorite time to do this, because as I said people’s clothing start to blend in with the trees and other plants around them. It makes for a very entertaining walk to class.

In the end, even though it’s annoying to have to deal with the weather starting to get more and more frigid by the day, I still find myself really enjoying fall each year. Yes it signals that school is officially here to stay, but there are so many other fun aspects to brighten back up your day!