Day 9: Autumn’s Reverance

I was born and brought up in a tropical country. The seasons here is usually the torrential rains and the hot and humid summers. Rarely we have just a minor chill in the air when December arrives. Other than that it is difficult to differentiate the seasons here. So imagine my glee when I get to see all the seasons with its glory.

I arrived in Shanghai in the month of July when Summer was at its peak. It was hotter than I expected. But as days passed, temperature began to cool down and in the evenings it was so pleasant to walk back to home from office. The leaves were yet to change color. But there was something that was so calming that made us forget the harshness of the Sun.

October came soon and I gathered up enough strength to have my first solo trip in a country which was still strange to me and my proficiency of their native language was just limited to saying hello. I saw the first maple Leaf here and brought it back pressed inside a book. Then the next trip was to Beijing to see the Great Wall of China. But I never expected to see such a glorious view of it. Autumn was visible in all its essence in Beijing. I remember walking up the innumerable stairs to the Mutiyanyu part of the wall captivated by the beauty of the autumn colors. I never expected to see such a magnificent view of the great. It seemed I was extremely lucky to have seen the view.

Shanghai was yet to embrace the beauty of autumn. The colors of the began to change in November and there was occasional rains which added beauty. I remember standing below the trees and experiencing the shower of the leaves.Walking was all the more pleasant and I spent time looking at the patters those leaves drew on ground. It was during these times that I learned to pay attention to the here and now. Each moment was not without it's beauty. I took several photos and everyone was stunned to see the magnificence of Autumn. I don't think I can ever get over the beauty of that autumn ever in my life.

The temperature began to drop drastically and the wind was getting stronger. The leaves started falling more and more leaving the trees looking like skeletons. The seasons do remind us that everything is transient and learning to adapt to the change is the only way to live this life. Thus we got ready for the ice cold winter months which taught me that even coldness of my own heart will not last forever.