Being Philosophical

It’s as if during the transformation of summer to fall, that the earth (substitute here whatever you like, world, universe, creator, etc.) is being philosophical. It’s expressing its grasp on the understanding that all things change. We get to see the explanation of that lesson through the changes that we see around us. Sometimes the beauty of the change of a season is magnificent and awe-inspiring. The leaves change colors and some plants flourish. Sometimes the reality of the change hits us as we look at bare trees or blackened plants after a hard freeze. We are left only with the memory of what once was or the joy it brought us. With that thought, I decided to root around (pardon the pun) for some quotes that might express more clearly what many of us gardeners and non-gardeners feel during this thoughtful time.

“He plants trees to benefit another generation.”—Caecilius Statius

“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.”—May Sarton

“I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation.”—Phyllis Theroux

“If a tree dies, plant another in its place.” –Carolus Linnaeus

“Autumn wins you best by this, its mute appeal to sympathy for its decay.”—Robert Browning

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”—Albert Camus

Magnificent sunset. (photo by Patricia Brantley)