Autumn Revelry: A Journey of Relaxation & Reflection

This week, I’m firmly ensconced in all things autumn. I’ve gone to my favorite boutique – TJ Maxx – to find the perfect wreath in those wonderfully soothing burnished colors.  Then I went to my local garden center – Back to Nature – to wander for an hour shaking off the stress of the week.  October in schools is a time of joy and stress all wrapped up in one.  There are looming events – parent-teacher conferences and Halloween and Diwali.  Being the Learning Support Coordinator, I’m trying desperately to keep all my ducks in a row.  COORDINATOR is a big job.  I’m the stretched-wire conduit between parents, teachers, tutors, therapists, psychologists, and children. In October, I’m a charged particle frantically going in one direction hoping not to overload my circuits and short out or go up in flames. So, I know I must take out a little time for myself to hideaway and enjoy autumn’s splendor.

I wandered Back to Nature both outside in the pumpkin patch and among the mums, inside the various fall-decorated wooden sheds, and the magnificent gift/flower shop.  When I’m there, I eagerly walk from area to area, snapping photos as I go.  The flaming warm colors entice me, and I cannot wait to see what awaits me at the next turn.  These lovely spaces are just what I need to unwind, to leave all that school coordination behind.  No more school thoughts now – just flowers, pumpkins, gourds, greenery, and Halloween surprises.This year, I am becoming more purposeful in my methods of relaxation.  I’m taking more time.  You know why?  Because I am worth it!  This fact took me a long time to understand and come to terms with.  Like many, I was one of those people doing, doing, doing for others (and I still do)!  However,  I’m at the age when I know I must take care of myself.  The years are going quickly.  And no one can take better care of myself than me!  I enjoy this garden space for a little longer, record my journey in photos, which I hope will sustain me through the long winter.

When I got home, I thought I’d write a poem to go along with this post.  As I often do, I started with a title – Autumn Revery.  I started writing in my head about frost on the field, flaming colors in the woods, and then I was stuck.  So, I Googled autumn revelry to see if I could get some inspiration.  I thought that there would be nothing and to my surprise, Autumn Revelry is a real thing.  Well, a real thing in fairy land.  I laughed to myself at my discovery.  Of course, I would pick something that had to do with fairies.  I spent much of my childhood deciding whether I wanted to be Peter Pan or Tinker Bell.

Tink, as Peter Pan called her, was a very spunky and ethereal being.  She was intriguing to me.  I wanted her powers of flight, her strength, her ingenuity to create things including fairy dust, and her ability to disappear and become a flash of light.  Yes, becoming Tinker Bell is still quite attractive to me, especially with all the things I have still swimming in my mind that I want to accomplish.

Autumn Revelry, I found out, happens only 25 times every two centuries or every eighth year! It is the ultimate fairy celebration.  As the Minister of Autumn said to Tinker Bell in the eponymous film,  “Since time immemorial, fairies have celebrated the end of autumn with a revelry, and this particular autumn coincides with a blue harvest moon.  A new specter must be created to celebrate the occasion.”  With this information, I feel like I not only have to create a poem, but I think I need a classroom scepter to keep all that work in its place!