This is not the first time that Frost’s iconic poem has risen into my mind, in fact, just last week I reblogged a post from 2014, Horizons and Mountains Beckon where I quoted every stanza; I guess these lines are on repeat as all of Vermont is erupting in foliage brilliance as we step into October.

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.

Fleeting, yes, but right now we are in the midst of the glorious, as ironic as that seems while so much suffering exists clear around our globe. Beauty is easy here. From the earliest light to the last of dusk all is pumpkin orange and cardinal red with blasts of golden yellow. Green is still the color of our open fields and the towering conifers. We stumble from one striking vantage to another, mumbling our wows, drinking in the potent hues as medicine. Before us, the grey months ahead, for now, color rules our eyes.

All we need to do is open the front door to spy the wonders of this season, which I do on the regular, saying a hello to this spectacular maple, who has become a dear friend. She’s really a grande dame, don’t you think?

Of course there are a thousand dirt roads to wander down, by whatever means you fancy, and on days like this, we aim to get good and lost. Driving straight into nowhere feels like the best way to appreciate this exuberance.

There are other days when you just have to run it, walk it, pedal it, and certainly stop to take it all in.

I know there is plenty to fret over right now. Regardless of your political leaning, some level of disaster has crested us all, that is an undeniable truth. But, just as true as that reality, is the enduring promise that we, you and I, will endure this trial to stand united once again to keep this terrific world intact.

Breath in. Breath out. Get outside and away from the twittering noise and social distractions for however long you can. Joy will find you.