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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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THE LEAVES OF AUTUMN
It is autumn in the Pacific Northwest. The sunrise is at 7:15 while sunset is nearly 6:30, and conversations about seasonal affective disorder abound. Old Jack Frost has appeared more than once. Cider presses are getting their annual workouts. A few pumpkins remain in the fields. Jackets and mittens have replaced sweaters. The signs of the approaching winter season are visible everywhere; but perhaps nowhere do they show up as obviously as in the tree lines. The northeastern United States is known for its colorful leaves in autumn. Tourists flock there by the bus load to see nature's spectacular display. However, when your state's motto is "The Evergreen State," there is nothing as spectacular as a single deciduous tree standing proud against a backdrop of conifers in the fall. A few brilliant colors against a sea of green is a sight to behold -- not lavishly overwhelming but minimally elegant. A Japanese Maple spreading its burgundy skirt stylishly on the ground below it, or a Ginkgo tossing its yellow fans into the air to twirl toward the earth stand out from other trees.The reds and purples of maples and oaks or the yellows and oranges of alders, birches and elms distinguish themselves from the predominate landscape of dark green. The intricate shape and color of all these individual tree leaves are noticeably distinctive when standing alone in an evergreen environment, just as a person of color cannot be overlooked in a predominately Caucasian community nor a child prodigy be hidden among a group of tone deaf musicians. When we feel out of place, abnormal, or all alone, we must remember these spectacular, deciduous trees showing their true colors against an evergreen background. Then we, too, can have the courage to stand tall and allow the whole world to see us as we really are -- exposed, distinctive, bold, and proud.
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
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