It seemed as if the fall would never come. Bare skin still stuck to the

chairs in our sweltering classrooms well into October and students studied

for midterms in their bathing suits.

But finally, the singing birds of summer have been quieted by the rustling

of crinkled brown and gold leaves.

Now, colors not found in the rainbow are catching our attention with their

surprising beauty and the grass has become a canvas for dying leaves. And

with this glorious change of season comes an inevitable physical and mental

lethargy that must be conquered.

Though getting out of bed is getting more difficult everyday, and

nighttime begins before we get out of class, we mustn’t fall victim to the

fall. Driving along the river on Neyland Drive serves as the perfect

reminder that fall is a great time to be alive. The sunlight that filters

through the high, white clouds flickers off the water like a hundred

flashbulbs, and we must smile. It is the most beautiful time of year in

East Tennessee. The trees that line the roads shake in the wind, seeming to

dance to the music of the season; the rustling of the leaves as the wind

whips through the trees, and the crunching of fallen nature underfoot.

Often, the fall symbolizes death; which is a fair, but overstated

comparison. Sure, all around us nature is dying; leaves drop from trees,

flowers shrivel and fall to the hardening ground, and lush green grasses

turn bare and brown. And we are changing too; cheeks get rosy, noses get

runny and sun-tanned skin turns pale. But surely we are not falling dead

like the golden leaves of fall. We can see our breath first thing in the

morning! We have not fallen.

The birds fly south and the bears hibernate, but we are still here. Fall

should not be associated with a perpetual state of mental lethargy. We must

get out there and be active. We swim and sail in the summer, we ski and

skate in the winter, so why can’t we do something in the fall?

From mountains and caves to rivers and lakes, East Tennessee has all the

makings of a fall paradise. Rock climbing, repelling, mountain biking,

hiking, canoeing, caving, rafting, kayaking. It’s all here. Even tossing a

football at the park or having a picnic down by the river would help

celebrate life this fall.

With finals creeping up on us and Santa’s bells ringing louder every day,

there is not much time left to enjoy the fall. Like that last leaf that

refuses to be taken by the wind, hang on to the season and enjoy!