Darby Hinkley

Some say it’s too early for pumpkin spice lattes. To which I say “Harrumph!”

I’d say “Bah, Humbug!” But it’s too early for that.

Fall is the best season of all. Why? Because the frenzy and hot hot HOT heat of summer have bid us adieu (hopefully) and we may now nestle into our sweaters and get out those cozy blankets for football games, or just vegging out on the sofa.

And who doesn’t love a nice hot pumpkin spice latte when it’s sweater season? Ok, if you’re not a coffee drinker, I’ll let you get away with a hot apple cider, but you’ve just GOT to put caramel and whipped cream on top. (Sidebar: If you read that and pronounced it CAR-MULL, kudos. If you pronounced it CARE-UH-MEL, you’ve been brainwashed and should head to the nearest debugging station as soon as possible. The advertisers have infiltrated your mind, and you CAN be cured, but you must first admit you have a serious problem.)

Whew! OK, so that’s what happens in my brain. It’s really messy in there! Careful, don’t step on that. I might need it later. Just walk around it.

Back to pumpkin spice and everything nice.

So, fall is great for many more reasons. To me, it’s like the dusk of the year, if the year were just a day.

Dusk is my favorite time of day. It’s when the day chills out and says “OK, we did enough running and now we can finally sit for a short while and just reflect on the day’s accomplishments and be present before we start worrying about tomorrow’s troubles.”

That may be the best thing about fall — we know what comes next, but I’m not even going there. Fall is happy to let summer fade away as the leaves slowly turn warm shades of yellow, orange, red, and brown and float one by one to the ground.

Fall, or autumn, as some prefer to call it, is especially nice in beautiful Northeast Michigan. It’s time for hikes at Norway Ridge, bike rides down the Alpena to Hillman Trail, or even just a peaceful stroll through the cemetery to see the natural beauty of the changing leaves on all the trees. It’s also time to head out to Knaebe’s Mmmunchy Krunchy Apple Farm down a country road near Rogers City. That’s a must-do every fall for our family, with fresh cider, apple picking, wagon rides, a petting zoo, and more.

Obviously, fall is also football season, which means my husband tries to get me to understand a game that has been baffling me for 25 years, and still does, but I swear I’m trying. I just can’t fathom why they are all running and smashing into each other over a weird-looking leather ball. And the refs? Why do they whistle so much? It’s like, geez, let them at least get going. Go, stop, go, stop, go, stop. As a former cross country runner, I ran for a long time, then I stopped at the end. Nobody whistled except for maybe some creeps, but that’s beside the point.

What I do love about football is watching my son play snare in the Alpena High School Marching Band. I watch the game too, and clap when other people clap. I want the Wildcats to win, and I like shouting “Woooo!” I just honestly have no idea what’s going on out there. All I know is I’m having fun, and it seems like everyone else is, too.

Living in the present is essential to joy. I try to just be exactly where I am when I am and not worry about tomorrow or yesterday or what might happen in 10 years. That’s why when fall comes, I see it as a precious opportunity to go outside, stare at each leaf as it journeys to its final resting place, knowing its life has served its purpose, and it is time to go. For now.

I know fall is short, but so is life. Let’s enjoy every second of it, with a pumpkin spice latte in hand, of course.

Darby Hinkley was born and raised in Alpena. She had her first cup of coffee at age 12, and hated it, but pretended to like it so she could seem like an adult. To reach her, email dhinkley@thealpenanews.com.