Fall

I grew up in a "small town" inside a big city. Kirkwood, Missouri has an identity all unto its own. While being inside St. Louis, people from Kirkwood say, "I'm from Kirkwood" rather than, "I'm from St. Louis."

Kirkwood has a main street - Kirkwood Road - with old brick store fronts, quaint shops, farmer's market, Amtrak train station, etc. It is picturesque to say the least. We lived within 6 blocks of most everything we needed - even the library and YMCA. It was a great place to grow up.

Kirkwood Train Station

All of the homes were old and the types of folks that lived in them was a diverse bunch. We had moved there from the suburbs where every family on the street had 2-4 kids our age. It was mayhem. In Kirkwood, our neighbors were widows, families with teens, families with kids, empty-nesters, single moms, and grandparents. It was a real community - active and caring about their neck of the woods. We loved it.


As to the title of this entry, I really became aware of the seasons changing while we lived there. Mostly because there were elements of nature present there that were not in the suburbs. The streets were shaded with huge old trees. We had a creek behind our house that we romped around in. Spring and Fall captured your attention the most as you were assaulted with the aromas and strong fragrances each brought about.



This past weekend, we were walking through the park near our house here and I caught a smell... it was that sweet smell of damp leaves on the ground. You know the one I'm talking about: the smell of Fall. In that moment, I was immediately transported back to Kirkwood. It's dusk, we're all playing hide and seek, and I'm in this little gulley in the yard of a neighbor down the street underneath a huge oak tree. The leaves are as big as my face, and I'm hiding under a huge pile of them. It's cool under there and I can't tell if my clothes are getting damp or it's just cold. For a moment, I just close my eyes and lie there smelling the sweet smell. Secretly, I don't care if I ever am found. It's quiet and comfortable.


In an instant I'm back to reality. Snap! Just like that. Incedible how catching a small hint of a smell can transport you like that. That's where I venture off to when I "smell Fall."