"How beautifully the leaves grow old..."

John Burroughs wrote those words. I think they are lovely. "How beautifully the leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days." To grow old beautifully like a leaf! A flash of brilliance in their last season. This time of year I am looking at leaves, and longing to be somewhere cool and crisp and russet colored... Sometimes I want to turn a brilliant hue myself and flutter to the earth and lie waiting on the ground, tossed around gently on a breeze... just waiting.

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I enjoyed Burroughs' words so much, that I googled him to find some other lovely little bits of his. He wrote primarily about nature, but I found several intersting statements that apply to my LIMFAC battle as well.

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"The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention." Ha! what a simple statement. I need to commit it to memory. Actually, I HAVE committed it to memory, in a shortened form, and so have you, I'll wager. A phrase taken up and taught to me by Nike... "Just do it." I like Burroughs' version better, but I am more likely to remember Nike's! Their's is memorable, his is convincing.

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"A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did." True. And cute. I had to read it twice. And slowly. Rather pathetic, isn't that?

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He also said, "Rise above the little things." Perfectly sensible advice, but I have trouble knowing which are the little things. It's so obvious when I look at other people, but in my own life...well my goodness, everything's major, naturally. I suppose that's a Limiting Factor for me, in a sense. I let minor things pretend to be major... color my outlook as if they were brilliant autumn leaves crowding my dull branches. (just trying to tie things together here!) No, there is no cohesion today, just rambling. (I should at least mention that I ran this morning, then scrubbed and scoured for hours with Katie in her beautiful new apartment. And made good eating choices...right up until I grabbed the Cheez-its before I sat down here...naughty. Out of control. And... Oops! Still need to read my chapter of Proverbs!! Good grief! And I thought I was doing well :)

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I'm in a bit of a funk this evening. Blah. Drag me out, one of you, will you please? Although the word (funk) made me smile ... it simply seems so uncomfortable with itself. I looked it up because... well, just because I am weird and like looking words up. And what came up associated with it was funny...to me... "person afraid to try something." Ha! Well, there I am. Or there I was... I'm getting better. Slightly despondent but dragging a lighter load of LIMFACs, if only slightly lighter. Maybe the changing leaves will perk me up?