Photography © Rachel Blanchard | Rachel Blanchard Photography — Used with permission.
Finding beauty in autumn’s quieter moments
There’s something about autumn that makes me want to slow down.
Maybe it’s the changing leaves. Maybe it’s the crispness in the air. Or perhaps it’s the simple realization that another year is quietly making its way toward the finish line.
We tend to celebrate autumn on its prettiest days. The ones with brilliant blue skies, golden sunshine, and trees dressed in magnificent shades of crimson, amber, and gold.
But what about the gray days?
The overcast afternoons when the clouds hang low, the air feels a little damp, and the world seems to have turned down its volume?
I happen to think there’s something rather lovely about those days, too.
I was looking at a photograph taken by our daughter, Rachel. An old railroad bridge, its rusted steel standing strong against a backdrop of autumn colors. The tracks stretch into the distance, disappearing around a bend beneath a pale, dreary sky.
And I found myself wondering where those tracks might lead.
There’s something wonderfully mysterious about railroad tracks. You can see where you’ve been, but you can’t always see what’s waiting around the bend.
Life is rather like that, isn’t it?
We spend so much time planning our next destination, anticipating what’s ahead, and occasionally worrying about what might be coming that we forget to appreciate the scenery along the way.
Autumn has a lovely way of reminding us that change doesn’t have to be frightening.
The trees don’t cling desperately to their leaves. They simply release them when the time comes, trusting that another season will follow.
And that old bridge?
It’s weathered countless seasons. Sunshine, rain, wind, and probably a fair amount of snow. Yet there it stands, still beautiful in its own wonderfully imperfect way.
I think there’s a lesson in that.
We don’t have to be at our brightest every single day. We don’t have to have every answer, know every destination, or greet every morning with boundless enthusiasm.
Some days can simply be quiet.
Some days can be a little gray.
And some days, perhaps, are meant for a warm cup of chai, a favorite sweater, and the luxury of doing absolutely nothing extraordinary.
Because living deliberately doesn’t mean filling every moment with something remarkable.
Sometimes it means recognizing that the ordinary moments are remarkable enough.
So, as autumn settles in, I hope you’ll give yourself permission to enjoy all of it.
The spectacular sunsets and the cloudy afternoons.
The brilliant colors and the bare branches.
The excitement of what’s ahead and the comfort of where you are.
And when the road—or the railroad tracks—disappears around the next bend?
Keep going.
There may be something beautiful waiting just beyond what you can see.
After all, not every beautiful day is sunny.
And not every beautiful chapter announces itself with a flourish.
Sometimes, it arrives quietly, beneath a gray October sky.
Until next week, keep finding beauty in the everyday.
Design a life you love ~ deliberately.
