Fall Apples

A rainy Sunday morning, beautiful in so many ways. It is a day of rest reinforced by the rain halting most outdoor activities. Some of the maple trees in the area have begun the slightest hints of changing their color. With the cooler temperatures that come with fall, it’s nice to wear that fleece jacket that has been hanging in the closet all spring and summer. I can’t wait for all the colors to change, the signal that the winter snows are just around the corner. The Holidays have special meaning this year, opportunities for cherished memories and traditions with my wife Veronika, sharing and celebrating them together for the first time. We went apple picking the other day in the cool crisp air. It was such a walk in the past for me. Outhouse Orchards in North Salem, New York was more of an event than it was just a place to buy some apples. They had hayrides and BBQ pits with succulent turkey legs for sale. Funnel cakes, fresh doughnuts, and little kids running around wide-eyed through an acre of pumpkins. That’s how I remember it when I was a kid. Life was so much simpler when I thought everything was free, not having a clue that Mom & Dad paid for everything. Even now, paying $20.00 for a bag of apples seems like such a bargain for a walk in the past. I guess I’m just a country boy at heart. Longing for the simpler days when we were happy with what little we had. I’m thankful to my parents that they never just gave me everything I had. If I wanted something, I had to earn it. I remember the first car I bought, a 1970 Chevy Impala. I had to make the money myself and shell out the $300.00 for it. I appreciated it, it was mine. There’s a lot to be said for earning what you have. Too many today feel entitled to whatever they want, and in that mindset forget the fact that someone had to earn what they got for free. You see, a rainy Sunday can give me too much time to think about things as well. Sometimes I think that the biggest problem living in the present is having the history of the past. Remembering how things used to be can sicken me when I see what’s going on around me. Don’t get me wrong, we have made great strides as a people in so many ways. We do live in exciting times for sure, but we all have to admit that they are not simpler times. But that’s life as they say, and I am a firm believer in the saying, “You get what you put into it.” I hope you have plenty of input in your life today, and maybe along the way you can take just a little time to pick some apples.