Change...

Looking out the window I see the fall colors lying on the ground. Yellows, golds, browns, resting on the ground. Some foliage remains on the limb but it knows it's days are numbered. The pecans are falling from the limbs covered in gold. A crisp rain is falling. The day is cooling from it's awakening. The third season is displaying it's last gasp before yielding to the blue of winter. The goats and the horse have become woolly. No longer seeking shade the sun brings an expected warmth but rainy fall days yield no sunshine to the thick hair coating them.
I wonder at the beauty of the seasons, thinking this might be my favorite time of year but my mind goes to the freshness of spring or the fresh cut hay smells of summer. Even the glistening and shimmering of a fresh nights snowfall emphasizes the beauty surrounding us. No, maybe this isn't my favorite time of year. How difficult a decision! The decision really is pointless, it changes every time I wake up!
I saw a note on a chalkboard in the background of a movie stating a partial quotation from Emily Dickinson. It was written as follows... "Friday I tasted life...". A friend posted a comment the other day requesting a simile (I am living yet being asked to write as if I've passed) of writing my own epitaph. I think I would add a portion of Emily Dickinson's quote and simply say "I tasted life" with a slight alteration it would read "I tasted life and it was good". 
All of this comes to a crux. I am 51 years old. I have learned to enjoy life. If trouble rears its head it doesn't last long. The beauty of all that the Lord created astounds me every day. It's not just the beauty of the earth but also the beauty of my friends and family. For all our faults are temporary and the beauty of friendship outweighs any fault or irritation we experience. The beauty of a smile or a kind word is worth gold. A hug can be the best medicine and no doctors prescription is needed. A good laugh with friends warms the soul. Back to the crux, I have passed mine, have you confronted yours? It has been quite rewarding to value every encounter, sight, and sound. I still have down days, we all do but even on the worst day if you look hard enough, you'll find something of value. Things of value can be a memory, a picture, a walk in the woods, a phone call to or from a friend, a favorite bible verse or a good book. Never discount a Harley ride either, laugh, you'll feel better. Just make the decision to see things a little different.
As I'm writing this my daughter tells me to start looking at nursing home packets... now that's funny.