The transformation that enables new growth in the spring that follows.

I first fell in love with fall at a young age. I loved seeing the colorful leaves glide through the air to the ground. My mom would help me rake them into a pile and we would both jump into the huge mountain. It was magical at that age.

Fall. It's the season in which leaves die, but become many shades of orange, red, yellow, and brown. The trees lose a part of them, but only temporarily, and it provides people with a colorful display that might even romanticize death a little.

Not many people think about the dying part. There is not much thinking about the process, the circle of life of a tree, the growth that will follow the shedding of its leaves. Internally, I compare it to my growth as I age, because each year, I am different. My experiences have changed me over time, and I’m a stronger person because I have grown. I’ve been broken and healed, been knocked down and gotten back up. I measure that growth in the seasons that have passed over the years.

Today, I still love the season -- the time of hot coffee drinks, hot cocoa, sweaters, and everything else stereo-typically “fall” themed. I do not care that some people don’t approve of leggings as pants and wearing sweaters every day. That is their choice to make. I’ll still wear sweaters and leggings like it’s my job.

I get excited for fall every single year. As I get older, the meaning changes a little, but I change too, and I’m okay with that.