Autumn at Work in New York
You can't beat autumn, autumn in New York, and by extension, autumn at work in New York. What, it's a city you say? Where are the great colors of autumn in a city? Gray concrete and black top don't respond to cooling temperatures like the leaves on the trees, so what difference does it make that autumn has descended on the city? Clearly you've never worked in Manhattan.
(For those of you who've never worked here, what you're about to read will make more sense when you understand that New York, as opposed to most other places in our great country, is a place where people walk. It's a "walking city" and so the environs play a role in the typical work day in a way that they don't in most other places.)
While lovers of this great city somehow manage to enjoy all four seasons - even summer - I'm telling you autumn takes the cake. You don't get the frequently overwhelming smells of sultry summer days, or the bite of winter winds whipping through the canyons between the tall buildings. You can make the argument that spring competes for pride of place here. But springtime sometimes struggles as it tries to separate from the winter cold and settle into the warmth that eventually brings us blossoms.
Autumn, on the other hand, while it can take its time, and sometimes reverts to warmer, even summer-like temperatures, tends to sweep away the summer sweat and both brighten the skies with clearer blues and freshen the air so that you feel like you're filling your lungs with pure energy. No more draggy days wearing business attire with the sun beating down as you trudge through baked pavement, breathing fetid air. Now you've got a bit of a skip in your step as you jaunt to that meeting uptown, downtown, all around town.
Oh, and as for the city-concrete thing, you'd be surprised at the number of parks laced throughout this metropolis, ranging from tiny corner green spaces to mighty Central Park, surely the most famous and perhaps the most magnificent city park in the world. At one point in my work life, I worked at offices not far from Central Park, and would not infrequently spend my lunchtime winding my way through park paths filled with like-minded New Yorkers; or maybe I'd plan my day so that I could walk to my next meeting destination through the park rather than sticking to the streets.
So right now, as the first colors appear, it's time to slow down, to open our eyes and ears, to take it all in, no matter how busy or pressing the day's work. It's time, above all, to recognize the handiwork of the Creator in all this and thank Our Father in Heaven for His blessings, especially the blessing of fall in the city. Let your eyes linger on the rich colors, breathe deeply the fresher air, as you commute to and from work, or walk about during the day. Don't forget: it won't last forever. By December, Winter's gray will have set in for the long haul until spring.
Of course, if you're like me, the fading colors won't put a damper on late fall days. After all, the next stop on what we recently called the "straight shot to Christmas" will be Thanksgiving...then Advent...then Christmas.
So it's off to work this morning, filled with happy thoughts and feelings of fall in the great City of New York, thanking God for the gift of life to take it all in.
(For those of you who've never worked here, what you're about to read will make more sense when you understand that New York, as opposed to most other places in our great country, is a place where people walk. It's a "walking city" and so the environs play a role in the typical work day in a way that they don't in most other places.)
While lovers of this great city somehow manage to enjoy all four seasons - even summer - I'm telling you autumn takes the cake. You don't get the frequently overwhelming smells of sultry summer days, or the bite of winter winds whipping through the canyons between the tall buildings. You can make the argument that spring competes for pride of place here. But springtime sometimes struggles as it tries to separate from the winter cold and settle into the warmth that eventually brings us blossoms.
Autumn, on the other hand, while it can take its time, and sometimes reverts to warmer, even summer-like temperatures, tends to sweep away the summer sweat and both brighten the skies with clearer blues and freshen the air so that you feel like you're filling your lungs with pure energy. No more draggy days wearing business attire with the sun beating down as you trudge through baked pavement, breathing fetid air. Now you've got a bit of a skip in your step as you jaunt to that meeting uptown, downtown, all around town.
Oh, and as for the city-concrete thing, you'd be surprised at the number of parks laced throughout this metropolis, ranging from tiny corner green spaces to mighty Central Park, surely the most famous and perhaps the most magnificent city park in the world. At one point in my work life, I worked at offices not far from Central Park, and would not infrequently spend my lunchtime winding my way through park paths filled with like-minded New Yorkers; or maybe I'd plan my day so that I could walk to my next meeting destination through the park rather than sticking to the streets.
So right now, as the first colors appear, it's time to slow down, to open our eyes and ears, to take it all in, no matter how busy or pressing the day's work. It's time, above all, to recognize the handiwork of the Creator in all this and thank Our Father in Heaven for His blessings, especially the blessing of fall in the city. Let your eyes linger on the rich colors, breathe deeply the fresher air, as you commute to and from work, or walk about during the day. Don't forget: it won't last forever. By December, Winter's gray will have set in for the long haul until spring.
Of course, if you're like me, the fading colors won't put a damper on late fall days. After all, the next stop on what we recently called the "straight shot to Christmas" will be Thanksgiving...then Advent...then Christmas.
So it's off to work this morning, filled with happy thoughts and feelings of fall in the great City of New York, thanking God for the gift of life to take it all in.
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