Changing Seasons ~ Love the Differences

Autumn is my favorite season. Colorful leaves, cozy sweaters, and warmish days with memories of summer, blessed with cooler nights and bonfires as we work our way toward Halloween and kids’ costumes and candy. There are geographical regions without the obvious seasonal changes and with temperate weather year-round, but I like the differences in the changing seasons.

I have a very visual brain. I see images. Many do. I thought everyone did and was astounded when I learned that wasn't the case. I don’t know how I would figure anything out, or remember anything, or find my way anywhere, if I couldn’t see the pictures in my head. But back to the seasons…. In my brain, the year is represented by a calendar wheel. Each month has a block and its own colors and images. July is at the top and December is at the bottom, of course. The colors are standard. Pink, yellow and green for the spring quadrant; orange, red and royal blue dominate the summer, and so on. Autumn is, not surprisingly, gold, copper and a deep evergreen with the toasty, comforting smell of clean tans and browns. Winter is silver, white and a cool blue, except for January which is always red. If you ask me what month it is, I'll be looking for that calendar in my head.

If you’ve read Cub Creek, then you know that the main character, Libbie Havens, has (among other challenges) a type of synesthesia. For Libbie, it’s a thin line between sight, sense and smell, and even emotion. As the author, I didn’t expand on those attributes as much as I might have because the story isn’t about synesthesia, it’s about being different. As Libbie knows—we are all different. We all have flaws; some of us just hide it better. I think it would be very nice if we didn’t feel that we had to hide it. I’ve never understood where the glory is in sacrificing who we are for the payoff of fitting in.

Maybe that’s why I enjoy Halloween so much. The costumes, the disguises…. When I was child I could dress up to my heart’s content and no one discouraged me. I even went door to door and asked the neighbors for their cast-off clothing to add to my ‘pretending’ wardrobe. For Halloween, store-bought costumes weren’t for me. When my sons were growing up, they benefitted from, or suffered through, my home-made versions of costumes, but they were good sports, even when I wrapped their arms and legs in strips of linen, winding the cloth around wooden splints to ensure that stiff-legged mummy walk. Unfortunately, that stiff-legged walk didn't work well on steps. Mostly, people had to bring the candy down to them. Yes, they were good sports and I was a very lucky mom.

So, to me, autumn feels like a time to celebrate differences. It’s nice to be able to fit in when you want to, but don’t make a habit of it or you might lose sight of who you really are.  
 

Leaving Cub Creek, the sequel to Cub Creek, will release in early December 2015.

 *****

Grace Greene writes women's fiction and contemporary romance with suspense. A Virginia native, Grace has family ties to North Carolina. She writes books set in both locations.

The Emerald Isle books, BEACH RENTAL and BEACH WINDS, are set in North Carolina where "It's always a good time for a love story and a trip to the beach." Or travel down Virginia Country Roads in KINCAID'S HOPE, A STRANGER IN WYNNEDOWER, and CUB CREEK and "Take a trip to love, mystery and suspense." A Virginia native, Grace lives in central Virginia.

Stay current with Grace's releases and appearances at www.GraceGreene.com and sign up for her newsletter. Grace loves to hear from her readers, You'll also find Grace here: Twitter: @Grace_Greene  https://www.facebook.com/GraceGreeneBooks  http://www.goodreads.com/Grace_Greene   http://www.pinterest.com/gracegreeneauth/