Autumn days

I can wander for hours in the forest, the crunch of autumn leaves beneath my feet, the breeze, on my neck and face, it's chilly breath hinting at the winter ahead. It's a pretty time to wander the forest, especially on blue-sky days like today.

I sometimes walk alone preferring my own thoughts and the solitude and silence to explore and understand them but today I had my partner along and we chatted whilst walking along hand in hand.

We spoke about small things, the lovely weather, our desires to have that idyllic cabin in the woods we've been talking about for so long, a popular topic of conversation, of the winter ahead and how the woods will change, and we spoke of love.

We know someone who has just rediscovered it, not long after a 27 year marriage came to an abrupt end and we were talking about how quickly the new relationship has developed. Of course it's not for us to judge and we feel that the person deserves to be happy and that's all tat really mattered.

Like nature, a marriage has seasons and whilst they may not come and go as predictably as those in nature they certainly come and go, depending on many factors. Marriage isn't an endless summer and if married long enough a couple will experience all four of them and, indeed, sometimes an autumn turns into an eternal winter and the love dies completely. It happens.

We continued our walk and our conversation turned to our own relationship and how fortunate we were that we nurtured it so carefully, ensuring winters are short, and the other seasons are fulfilling and valued. We love our autumn days, and every other day we share together too.