The changing seasons changes my opinion

Everyone has a favorite season of the year. Mine has been autumn for some years now. Most people seem to like summer. But not me. Since the day I chose a favorite season, it has been autumn. Well, it’s autumn now. I’m in Holland, and I don’t like the Holland autumn very much. There are reasons for this.

I come from the state of New Hampshire, and I lived (and will likely live again) in the middle of the mountains in the northern area of the state. It’s so beautiful. In the autumn the mountains turn into a cascade of fiery colors, more beautiful than a person can imagine. We have crisp, frosty mornings that melt into afternoons that are cool and covered in reds, yellows, oranges, and greens. Nothing could be more distracting to a person (like me) that is attempting to navigate the corners and curves of the road while also trying to admire God’s handiwork. But man is it breath-taking!

Well, now I’m in Holland. For four years I mourned the fact that I had to spend my autumn in Maine, which is very flat where I was at school. Last year I was in New Hampshire and enjoyed the beauty more than I ever did in my life. And now I don’t like autumn at all (at least not here).

Last weekend, I was sitting and talking with my friend, Benjamin, when he commented that we’d had a very exceptional autumn. There’d been a lot of sunshine and the temperature would get as high as 20 degrees Celsius (appx. 68 degrees Fahrenheit). I agreed with him, saying it was very nice.

Today it rained non-stop the entire day. It’s cold and wet and windy. I don’t like being cold. I don’t like being wet. And I don’t like fighting the wind to keep my umbrella. I don’t know who made up the story of Mary Poppins, but it definitely wasn’t realistic because my umbrella always turns inside out when the wind tries to use it to carry me away. And then I’m still standing on the ground with an umbrella that is inside out, which I have to fight to get right side out (just in time for the wind to be rebellious again). So, I don’t like the Dutch autumn. But I have chosen a favorite season for here.

I like the Dutch spring. In the spring the snow doesn’t melt (that’s just because there isn’t any snow). The ground goes from being soggy (from the rain) to being muddy (from the kids running through it). But despite all that, it is my favorite Dutch season. Actually, I like the end of spring and the beginning of summer because right then all the trees bloom. And most of them don’t just bud leaves, but they actually bloom big, beautiful, fragrant flowers. Everywhere one looks you can see flowers. High up in the trees and peeking out of the ground they naturally decorate the terrain.

I don’t know if I’ll ever have the pleasure to see another Dutch spring. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see another New England autumn (I hope I will). But that doesn’t matter, because wherever I go there will be four seasons. And out of those four seasons I’ll always be able to choose a favorite (I think). I guess that God has provided me with long-term entertainment, in a way.