It is 5:48 AM on Sunday October 13th, 2019. The moon hangs high above the trees partly obscured by a few passing clouds. The temperature is a cool 49 degrees. This is perfect weather for October, Halloween and the start of the holiday season.
This year I was slow in taking the time to contemplate the beginning of the holiday season. This is because I haven’t been getting up early as consistently as I used to. The early morning is always the best for the deep thoughts, and to reflect on where I am at in life. As always I like to focus on the passing of time and looking at my pictures I find it hard to believe this or that Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas morning took place so long ago. Facebook also serves up old pictures and asks me to remember events from 8 years ago. What happened in those 8 years? If I didn’t have this blog I would say 70% of the experiences would be completely lost; forgotten memories buried under the sands of time only by which a random trigger, causing a long dead neural connection to fire would the memory resurface. My mind would look at it like a treasure found in the desert but then leave it to be buried once more.
Looking at the date on my watch I realized I needed to get the outdoor Halloween decorations up. My wife had dutifully put up the majority of the indoor decorations at the beginning of the month. So last Friday, after I had a productive morning and some time to spare I got the decorations up outside as well as our indoor orange lights that go along the railing on the stairs. Decorations are important when you have kids because to the kids mind the holidays are a very magical time. I remember how much I loved the holidays and our own decorations as a kid and so even though the majority of that magic has been lost with age, it is my duty to get those decorations up for my own kids.
I think another reason the magic is lost in addition to age is that we really do not have a change in seasons here. There is no fall weather except for perhaps a chillier morning and less fog. The sparse foliage really does not change colors as it is mostly coniferous, scrub and eucalyptus. There will be no snow and the environment really isn’t that much different from summer except that we might see some rain. I equate the changing of the seasons with the holidays and so there is a bit of a disconnect for me.
As for today’s schedule, me and the boys will go to the park and then to Rockaway Beach for Pokemon. My son likes to swing at the park and I like getting there early before anyone else is there and the temperature is cool. Rockaway is the best place for Pokemon: it is a magical little place tucked away between hills on two sides, a park, the ocean and Highway 1. There are a few shops, restaurants, a cafe, toilets and beautiful scenery.
An orange full moon
Mateo de Colón
Hangs over another autumn
Where does the time go?
My train of though was interrupted by the beautiful moon setting. I saw it out the window and had to take some pictures as well as write a haiku. A deep and thoughtful haiku is hard to write when your son is sitting next to you playing both Fortnite and watching a gamer playing Fortnite on his iPad with the sound of gunfire emanating from both.
OK, I’ve lost my contemplative mood. Perhaps I’ll have my son put on the VR goggles and do some meditation in the mountains.
