Best Colorado Fall Colors Ever, and Living a Life That is More Than Ordinary

Some of my friends, family, and favorite customers might already know I've taken a bit of a personal hiatus this past month.  What I've learned is that during difficult times, there's nothing more soothing and healing than spending some time outdoors.  Last week we did some yurt camping, and I had a bit of an internal  battle over whether to feel guilty or not over skipping school (for me and for my kids) so we could spend some much-needed time together as a family.  My epiphany:  There is nothing. NOTHING. more important than this.

Camping in the fall is a whole different experience than camping in-season.  I much prefer the quiet, solitary, cold and quiet, over the clamor, hubbub and heat of the typical camping season.  It helps me make the most of my time with the Earth, as none of my energy is spent on traffic, bugs, heat, or other summertime camping hassles.  And it doesn't hurt that this year has been spectacular for fall colors in Colorado.

And, in case you wondered, as many of my coworkers have been asking lately...  Why are some years' colors more spectacular than others?

Leaves have at least three kinds of chlorophyll - green, yellow and orange.  Some plants have others.  When the trees cut off the water supply to the leaves, the green is the quickest to degrade, revealing the other colors of chlorophyll hidden below the dominant green.

Most years in Colorado, we don't get much past the yellow stage, because as soon as the weather starts turning, it turns drastically.  If there is a heavy frost, or snow, the leaves will immediately fall after yellowing, and we won't see the orange or reds most of the rest of the country enjoys.  This year, we have had bright sun in the day and cool, but not freezing, nights.  That means that the leaves have stayed on the trees longer, and have had more time to develop their full fall colors.

But what is more important than understanding chlorophyll academically, is to take your kids outside, and collect a baseball hat full of the most beautiful leaves, spend some time away from the noise and chaos of your every day life, feel the cold and wet and fresh air, and even skip some school if you have to.

For me, this epiphany is a lot about living a life that is not ordinary.  We live such brief and fleeting moments in time... In a world of quickly-fading yellows, which of us can live a life so full of fire, that our influence can't go without notice?  I want to live the kind of life that will be remembered as being spectacular.  I want my kids to remember their childhoods as something truly special.

Trying to be different today, and every day.  Because life is SO. DAMN. SHORT.  Carpe Diem.