It has been a little less humid and lot cooler the past week or so. Of course, more rain has come with that, but it also means that the fall blooms are starting to brighten up the paths.
When you live in a place with actual seasons (despite people’s recent complaints that Japan doesn’t have four seasons ๐โ๏ธ๐ธโ๏ธ) conversation around weather is inevitable. After living in a country that really had no seasons other than hot โ๏ธand hotterโ๏ธ I have come to appreciate them more than I did before. Also, I have become more aware of my preference for one season over another.
Before, people would ask me as a small talk conversational piece, “What’s your favorite season?”. I would look at them as if they were crazy and think, “What a dumb question…, who cares?” ๐
Now, I understand. Now, I have a favorite season with a more mature understanding of why. ๐ต๐ฝ
As a youth, I would say ‘summer’ was my favorite because it meant school holidays and long sunny days of nothing but pleasurable activities. As I got older, I would stubbornly refuse to answer such a question and say something sarcastic, like “I prefer tropical climate”, which isn’t an answer to the question at all. ๐
These days, I can honestly say that ‘fall/autumn’ is my favorite season. It’s a season that feels like the biggest ‘sigh’ of relief and letting go. The heat goes away lowering humidity levels. The winds blow a cooler breeze that refreshes the skin. The colors become bright on the trees giving the eyes some stimulation. People come out to enjoy the weather with smiles and chatty sounds.ย
Although the rain increases and there is still some humidity, it feels as if the community (or at least my little place in the world in Japan) has breathed out a collective cool sigh of relief with a quicker step in their feet as we forget about the trying summer times and avoid the need to hunker down for winter. It’s a period of time to just be and breathe.
~T ๐
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