Finally, the beautiful season of rainy days and crispy leaves is here. You may be surprised to hear something like that or you may understand exactly what I mean. Unexpectedly enough, there are many people who dislike summer and love fall. Are you one of them? Or is there a quizzical expression on your face as you read these words? In either case, I’d like to suggest a few fall activities that will help you plunge into the spirit of this season.
Below are a few activities that will enable you to see and appreciate the beauty of the fall:
Have a picnic
As the days are still long and warm enough, you can enjoy nature at its greatest. The presence of summer still lingers, and the sun doesn’t give up that quickly. September usually has many warm sunny days which are perfect for out-of-town activities like picnics, hiking and road trips to the countryside.
So while the weather is still cheerful, you can plan a picnic with your family or friends. What can be better than enjoying snacks and drinks with your dear ones in the September sun while contemplating the melancholic harmony of nature’s gorgeous decay?
Create your collection of fall leaves
Fall leaves… How many they are on the streets these days and how different each is. Yellow, red, bronze, crunchy, rain-soaked, sharp-edged, rounded, perfect and broken. Each leaf tells a different story. So why not make them into your own this fall!
Just go for a walk to a park and pick a few leaves of different colors, shapes and sizes. Your collection doesn’t need to be big – you just want to pick the most unusual and beautiful pieces.
This is a really inspirational activity that will get imprinted on your memory. You may even associate your leaf collection with some happy events that happened this fall or earlier this year.
In fact, according to pagan traditions, fall is a season of harvest and thus, we should look at the passing year and sum up the results. Our ancestors were more attuned to nature and its cycles, so maybe we should learn from them.
Collecting leaves is one of those activities that get even better if you have kids – not only will they learn to appreciate the beauty of nature in the fall, but they will also explore different tree species.
Take a walk on a rainy day
Introverts will probably enjoy this activity a little bit more. In the fall, as the weather gets more hostile, more and more people stay in and the streets get empty. It’s as if the town is falling asleep, preparing itself for winter.
This is a great opportunity to take a quiet walk to think about different things while gazing at colorful trees. A walk on a rainy day is a sort of meditation – the sound of falling drops and the smell of wet soil do wonders for our mind. You won’t notice how you entered a mindful state without even trying.
Watch a meteor shower
August may be a period when meteor activity reaches its peak, but there are many meteor showers that we can observe in the fall. Taurids, Orionids and Leonids – all they take place in September, October and November. Those fall nights when the weather is good and the skies are clear are the best time for skywatching activities.
Meteor showers are best seen after midnight on moonless nights, so you may want to check a lunar calendar. You should also make sure you observe them from a location that is far enough from city centers so that the lights don’t interfere with your skywatching.
Take a leaf-peeping road trip
If the climate in your region is too hot, it may be more difficult to enjoy the colors of the fall. So you may travel across the country or even abroad to the places where the fall foliage reaches its peak. This is called leaf-peeping and thousands of people travel each year to see the beauty of the fall.
In fact, there is even a map that shows leaf foliage peak times in the U.S:
Just make yourself some tea and stay in
There is something cozy, private and utterly comfortable about the fall. The adventurous summer is over, and now it’s time to turn to our inner world.
What can be better than staying in and enjoying a good book or a nice movie while the raindrops are falling on the rooftop? You can bake a pie from fall vegetables and fruits and make yourself a cup of nice aromatic tea.
If you are a more outgoing person, you can instead throw a house party or plan a dinner with your friends. To indulge in the atmosphere of the season though, make sure that your drinks and dishes include the fall harvest. Apples, corn, pumpkin and cinnamon have the very taste and smell of the fall.
Give these activities a try and celebrate the fall season!
Fall’s gloomy and thoughtful nature is different from the striking, robust scenery of summer. But it’s no less attractive. It has a special beauty in it. Fall often makes us think deeply about life and brings nostalgic and introspective moods.
So why not celebrate it with the activities described above – I’m sure that they will help you appreciate the fall season more!
What other things do you love doing in the fall? Please share your suggestions in the comments below!
