The grass fades from its illuminating green to a dull brown. The temperature becomes cooler and the breath of Mother Nature blows lightly on my back, reminding me that winter is coming.

The trees are changing too. They turn to red, yellow, and orange and draw my attention away from other things, their beauty calling me from every corner of the earth. The leaves fall slowly to the ground, reminding me winter is coming.

School starts, with its intensity and stress, pulling me into routines and conformity. Fall always finds a way, though, to allow me to regain consciousness, if only for an instant. Then I am forced to return to the mundane, with only memories to sustain me. Fall is the period between life and death, its presence felt only for a short time, all the while reminding us winter is coming.