My Second Life: A Small Gift of Autumn
This morning, the temperature was a bit chilly. While I was out for a walk and waiting at a traffic light, an elderly man spoke to me.
"It's starting to get cold in the mornings and evenings, isn't it? You really need long sleeves now, but (looking at my short-sleeved outfit) you're still young, aren't you!"
Me: "I suppose so. I get warm when I walk, so short sleeves are fine for me."
Just as I replied, the light changed, and I started walking briskly away.
Even if I'm called "young," I passed the age of sixty a long time ago. But from that gentleman's perspective, I suppose I might still look young (laughs).
I intend to walk at a good pace in this comfortable temperature, but for some reason, the morning after I've had a beer, my pace is slow. This morning, I found green acorns under the street trees near the park. Thinking, "Since I'm walking slowly anyway," I enjoyed my early autumn stroll while picking up fallen leaves.
When I got home, I lined up the autumn treasures I had collected on the table and took a picture.
Then, I suddenly remembered something from the past.
It wasn't early autumn, but a Sunday in late autumn. It was the day I took my daughters to a large park when they were in kindergarten.
We ran around kicking pinecones and gathered fallen leaves to make a sofa to lie on... it was such a fun day. We didn't have a bed or a sofa at home, but that sofa made of fallen leaves was fluffy and wonderful.
They must have enjoyed it so much that, at kindergarten the next day, my daughter apparently talked to her teacher about the leaf sofa endlessly. Along with the sight of the yellow carpet spreading out under the ginkgo tree, that late autumn day still remains in my heart. And my daughter remembers that day clearly, too.
When autumn deepens, I would like to visit that place again. I might be able to hear everyone's smiles and laughter from that day.
—
Thank you for reading until the end this time as well.
I would be happy if you could enjoy this small gift of autumn with me.
#SmallAutumn
#EnjoyingTheSeasons
#SecondLife
#LifeInMy60s
#DailyRecord
#MorningWalk
#HeartwarmingTime