It's a crisp, cool autumn day in South Jersey.
Stepping out onto the front porch, smiling toward the rising sun to greet the new day, filled with the promise of opportunity. A bright, blazing ball of fire ascending into the tranquil cerulean sky. Autumn leaves spiraling down to the Earth, the ground from which the tree they inhabited all summer long originally came - bright and beautiful even in death, a mesmerizing suicide dancing through the air before resting placidly upon the ground. Eventually the bright-colored leaves will dissolve into the dirt once more, but serve as a reminder that while there is much beauty to be considered in life, there is room for wonder in death as well. The leaves tremble as they float downward through the air, tumbling down like pieces into place. Soon the trees will be bare, a desolate reminder that change is coming, and isn't always a bad thing.
In the wee hours of the morning, as steam rises from the ground and the sun makes it's ascent into the sky, a layer of frost dazzles the grass and the bushes and the fallen leaves, a sparkling reminder that there is beauty in everything for those who wish to see it. Soon, the frost will melt and leave the ground damp - an excellent contradiction to the dry, dead leaves that have already found their fate upon the ground beneath your feet. With each step you take, they crumble beneath your shoes, tiny crackling sounds mimicking firecrackers of summer nights passed.
A sharp, cool air hits your face and erects a rosy blush onto your cheeks, making even the grumpy-faced morning people lovely. You can see your breath in a cloud in front of you, jamming your cold fingers into your warm pockets in search of a home to savor the feeling in your fingertips.
Driving down the tree-lined streets, crops that have flourished in the warm months preparing to be harvested serve as a gentle reminder that even this advanced, developed society had its simple origins not long ago.
At night the stars populate the dark evening sky in a beautiful array of glittering pockets of light in contrast to the shadows of the night and the secrets concealed therein. The pungent yet pleasant aroma of a nearby bonfire hugs the nostrils and arouses a sense of warmness and comfort, no matter how far away you are from home.
It's a crisp, cool autumn day in South Jersey - and there is marvelous wonder in every aspect of the magic of nature, if only one cares to seek it.
