For every season there is a time

CHERRIL DOTY

STOP! Enough, already.

I had finished my morning walk. It was filled with luscious

moments -- just the way I like it. Moments to enjoy the sweeping view

at Crescent Point were brief, yet still filled with sights to

replenish my spirit. There were sea lions frolicking in “school” off

the rocks seaward of the point. Swooping pelicans with their comic

pratfalls caused the usual intake of breath followed by a hearty

laugh. And, as I turned to leave, I saw two dolphins at play well

within the cove at Crescent Bay. What delight!

So what’s the problem?

For the past couple of weeks I had noted the gradual building of

decorative energy aimed at Christmas. I must have tucked away the

irksomeness of it, for when I saw a simple green garland adorning a

fence this morning, I blew. C’mon. Let us celebrate one holiday

before we go on to the next. I want to cherish the moments of

noticing just what I am grateful for before I have to move on. And we

are still two weeks from Thanksgiving.

Don’t get me wrong here. Unlike some folks, I love the whole

holiday thing. I just like the holidays to come one at a time.

Twinkling lights in trees give me a warm glow in the nippy air. Can

we wait until December? (And what happened to the energy crisis

anyway?) The artists’ palettes are a lovely expression of our town

... in December. How about the palette of autumnal colors that we

associate with Thanksgiving? Where are those tints? Where are the

gourds, cornucopias, meats, fruits and vegetables, that represent the

plenty for which the colonists were giving thanks?

We are so fortunate. Still, I don’t think it hurts at all to be

reminded of that good fortune. We have “easy” weather, the abundance

of plenty on our plates, a roof over our heads. Sometimes, I think we

just get jaded and move on to that next thing a bit too quickly. So I

am taking a stand against all the push to begin the shimmer and shine

before we do the crimsons and oranges and golden tones of autumn in

celebration of -- like the pilgrims -- the fall harvest. We may no

longer grow our own corn for which to give thanks, but we only need

to walk along the seashore on any given day to see the plenty we can

glean.

I want these remaining few weeks before Thanksgiving for focus on

the gratitude I feel. Surely, I am not alone in this. Let us savor

the slight changes in the days. Give us the warm colors of autumn

before bringing on the winter’s images. I ask this of all you

merchants out there: Slow it down a bit. Let us have time to be

grateful. Personally, I will be far more open to the giving season

upcoming if first I may bask in the glories of autumn and feel the

thanks in my heart.

In this vein, thanks first go to Haster Grove for the simple green

garland that set this all off in the first place. I am even now

plotting to adapt the decorations for my booth at the Winter Fantasy

to include, first, the warm hues of autumn. Thanks, also, to May

Sarton for her poem “Hour of Proof,” wherein she writes of this

special season:

The place and time where dancing growth is still,

And light and structure gently intersect;

... shows us the summer green for what it was.

The autumn light X-rays our sealed-up riches; ...

Go ... and catch a falling sun!

Let us do honor to this “hour of proof” by our observance and

celebration of it and it alone.

* CHERRIL DOTY is a creative living coach, writer, artist, and

walker who lives and works in Laguna Beach. To schedule a coaching

session or comment, contact her by e-mail at coach@cherrildoty.com or

by phone at (949) 251-3993.