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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.

This week I was really struck by this quote “Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go”, and I really tried to concentrate on that beauty, with varied success. Fall is usually my favorite time of year. It means camping, bike riding, visiting family, and hikes with friends. Catching the last warm days at the beach when the water is warmer than the air, and swimming is exhilarating. The world changes color. The light at sunset makes greens greener, and yellows yellower, for just a short time. Then slowly the leaves start to fall and the light fades and the colors that dressed the “forest’s fashion show” are left scattered on the ground. Then one last hoorah, to walk through leaf piles, and listen to the music of the shushing of dried leaves dancing around feet shuffling through them. The shades and shapes of brown, and the occasional dazzling burst of reds and yellows painted by some invisible hand. That’s the beauty of autumn letting go. The hard part is realizing many of the joys this year were missed because of Covid, so letting go became more the focus. The challenge was, and is, to stay focused in the present and not worry about the coming cold, increased isolation, and the after effects of the election. Feels like a double whammy this year, but maybe that makes this quote even more poignant...”how beautiful it is to let things go”...