O Me! O Life!

On fields o'er which the reaper's hand has pass'd

Lit by the harvest moon and autumn sun,
My thoughts like stubble floating in the wind
And of such fineness as October airs,
There after harvest could I glean my life
A richer harvest reaping without toil,
And weaving gorgeous fancies at my will
In subtler webs than finest summer haze.

- Henry David Thoreau

The magic formula of "solitude + beautiful fall day + walk = complete rejuvenation" was tested yesterday, and found to hold true. Never underestimate the power of a beautiful day to give you perspective. It's not about feeling small in front of the grandeur of nature or anything - it's about feeling part of it. Feeling proud of the fact that you exist, a part of this mystery, able to appreciate the insanely pretty lights in the trees, the loud crack of twigs, the silence that carries a dog's sneeze, the resizing of your problems in the grand scheme of things.

Fall is fast becoming my favorite time of year. This year, surprisingly, we went almost two months without rains. Clear skies, stunning colors, crisp refreshing weather, and the promise of work and love and music to keep me hopeful.

Today it has been raining since the time I woke up. Farewell o fair weather, o life-giving beauty. May I never forget.

O Me! O Life!
O Me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists, and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
- Walt Whitman