Tree

There is a tree in my neighbors yard that I drive past every morning and just stare at. It is absolutely gorgeous. And quite the driving hazard. My eyes always manage to leave the road and sway up to the left for a few moments too long. I'm glad most of the neighborhood has already left for work by the time I do, or else I would probably be the cause of a few morning fender benders. I could just imagine the police report "woman driving was staring at a tree, not the road, and rear-ended driver in front of her." That would be an accident my mom would be proud of! I really wish I had a nicer camera, like a digital SLR, so I could take some decent pictures of this tree. Down here we don't get too many trees that have vivid colors when they change, hell we don't even have many that change at all! Most of our pines go from green, to brown, to green, to brown, on a cyclical pattern regardless of the season. The other trees seem to lose their leaves once the mercury dips below 60. Once it hits 59 they're naked. Well not this particular tree. I have had the absolute pleasure of watching it turn from green to firetruck red. Then after a week or so the red faded into a brilliant pink. Now a light orange has begun to creep in from the edges of the leaves. Each leaf looks like a beautiful sunset. Surrounded by dying green and brown, these leaves stand out easily. And I get to stare at it for a few seconds every morning.

It's amazing how something so small and trivial can be the cause of such happiness. I remember growing up in the North East, I loved the fall because it was so colorful. Driving to my best friend's house was so much fun. The dogwoods that lined her street would be throwing up shades of yellow and orange for weeks on end, eventually turning the sidewalks yellow as well. When I moved up to Boston I felt as though the fall would come and go all too quickly. If I blinked the leaves would be gone. Now, I get to see this tree turning for weeks on end! It's such a small thing, but I get to start off every day with a smile on my face, and that just can't be beat.